


Jake Long: The American Dragon

by SunshineHeroSol



Series: Danger Watch Universe [1]
Category: American Dragon: Jake Long, Steven Universe (Cartoon), a little Danny Phantom
Genre: Book 1, Danger Watch, Danger Watch Universe, Enemy Lovers, Iron Man - Freeform, Pining, Shared Universe, Starcrossed Lovers, The Boiling Isles, mcu - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:34:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 29,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24312127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunshineHeroSol/pseuds/SunshineHeroSol
Summary: Ever since his dragon powers began to manifest as a preteen, Jake Long has been studying hard with his grandfather to become the next Dragon, protector of the magical creatures of earth, all while trying to win a girl's heart and keep his grades up. When a mysterious gang starts recruiting kids to hunt magical creatures, its up to Jake to stop them! (Danger Watch: Phase 1, Book 1)
Relationships: Jake Long/Rose | Huntsgirl
Series: Danger Watch Universe [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1755103
Comments: 12
Kudos: 35





	1. Skateboarding After Goblins

**Author's Note:** _Hello, and welcome. Quarantine has driven me to watch a lot of good cartoons recently, and in watching them, and reading through their lore, I've discovered that a lot of them could work together in a shared universe. More info in my bio. For now, enjoy!_

* * *

_**Phase One, Book One** _

_**Jake Long: The American Dragon** _

* * *

**Chapter 1: Skateboarding After Goblins**

"Yo, Trix! Watch this one!" Jake called out. The two of them were on opposite ends of an emptied out swimming pool. Trixie was sitting at the shallow end, her sneakered feet dangling over the lip of the pool. Her thick black curls bounced as she tilted her head, lifting one hand to protect her eyes from the bright sunlight of the spring afternoon. She squinted, focusing on her friend, who stood at the other end with a skateboard under his arm.

Jake, once he was satisfied that Trixie was paying attention, pulled a helmet over his neon green frosted tips, buckled it, and then dropped the board to his feet, holding it at the ready with the tip of his shoe. He licked his finger, tested the wind, and then pointed to the sky.

"Today, we make history! Triple fakie kickflip, _with_ a grab!" He shouted across the pool.

"With the _grab?_ " Trixie echoed encouragingly.

"That's right, girl!" Jake called back. Then, he went on. "Rose… This one's for you!"

Trixie snorted and shook her head as Jake dipped into the pool, rolling confidently across the stained cement, the hair that made its way out from beneath his helmet whipping in the wind. He grinned, leaning into the ride, feeling the board, and loving the rush. If there was one thing Jake lived for, it was speed. As he came closer to the opposite end of the pool, Jake squatted slightly, getting ready for the moment of truth. Then, as his wheels took the incline and he shot up into the air, he used his ankles expertly to maneuver the board beneath him in an impressive looking trick. At the height of his jump, he let out a whoop of excitement, and grabbed the edge of his skateboard on the way down.

"Hey, is that Rose over there?" Trixie mused out loud.

"Wha-?" Jake quickly looked around, losing concentration on what his was doing, and hitting the lip of the pool at an awkward angle, sending him and his board tumbling down into it, ends over ends. With a grunt of pain, Jake rolled over onto his back at the bottom of the pool. It was then that he noticed that Trixie was laughing, holding her stomach with one hand and leaning back. He groaned, and rolled his eyes. Pulling himself up, he made his way over to his board, and then went to lean against the pool wall beside Trixie.

"I hate you," Jake said.

"It was a nice try," Trixie said, "but if Rose was really here, you'd have crumbled without my help."

"Crumbled? _Crumbled?_ Me."

"Like a cookie, J," Trixie finished with a ' _prove me wrong'_ kind of smile. She did that a lot. Jake brushed it off with a wave of his hand.

"No way," he said. "You'll see. If she ever comes to the skatepark-"

"You mean the swimming pool? I doubt it, heavy. That girl looks like she has money. She doesn't wanna hang around no crusty ass abandoned waterpark," Trixie said.

"How do you know? Maybe she likes to skate. Have you ever talked to her?" Jake tried to argue.

"Have you?" Trixie countered. That shut Jake up. With a sigh, he un-clipped his helmet, and pulled himself up to sit next to Trixie on the edge of the pool. They were both silent for a moment, nothing but the ever-present sounds of New York city echoing beyond the half built walls of the Splash Zone. Trixie felt a pang of guilt, and leaned gently against Jake, looking at her toes. "Sorry."

"It's all good, T…" Jake said. "I just... hey, what the-? Where's my backpack?"

The two of them scanned the immediate area. Their skateboards, Trixie's bag, various pieces of litter left by other people who had come by, but no Jake's backpack. Perplexed, the pair of them fanned out, scouring the rubble and discarded racks of lumber for any sign of the bag. Jake ducked around a corner, and as he did, he thought he saw something flutter in the corner of his eye. Something long, blue, and scampering out of view. He froze, extending his senses and trying to notice anything, but failed. He jumped a little as Trixie came up behind him.

"Hey," she said, "did ya find it?"

"Uh, no," Jake said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Hey, listen, I gotta get going for my... Friday afternoon tutoring. Yeah, if I'm late my grandpa will flip."

"But what about your backpack?"

"I'm sure it'll turn up," Jake said, scooping up his board and buckling on his helmet. "Catch ya later, playah!"

"Peace out, J," Trixie called back, still a bit confused, as Jake's wheels hit the ground.

Jake kicked hard, gaining momentum as he ripped off through the alleyway, in the direction he had thought he had seen the blue creature. His board trampled over a crumpled Nasty Burger wrapper, and he kept his eyes peeled for any signs of movement. Just as he was about to clear the alley, he saw it. To the right! Blue, slender, a tail! Jake jerked his back foot, skidding his board laterally so that he was now facing his quarry, allowing him to catch sight of it as it clambered up a pipe. One of its strangely humanoid hands clung to the windows and fire escapes like some kind of monkey, while the other clutched Jake's backpack.

"Hey!" Jake shouted. In response, the creature seemed to react, whipping its head around to reveal huge bug eyes and wide, flat, tapered ears, all in a vaguely teal, leathery skin. Jake wrinkled up his face in disgust, propping up the front of his board and balling up his fists. "Oh, _great_. A goblin."

Jake had dealt with goblins before, on a couple of occasions. They were notorious kleptomaniacs, known for their sneakiness and their greed for grabbing just about anything they could get their three fingered hands on. They weren't the smartest of creatures, but they weren't complete beasts either, and some goblins were known to be capable of reason, and making deals. This goblin, however, only hissed and screeched at Jake, and then climbed the rest of the way up the building, vanishing from view until Jake saw a flit of blue as it jumped to the next rooftop.

"Aw, man," Jake muttered to himself. "I'm gonna be so late."

Then, he stepped a few paces back before taking a running start towards the building and jumping as high as he could with a shout of exertion. There was a burst of heat and light, and Jake had changed. Starting at the fingertips and climbing up to just past his elbows were thick red scales, and his hands and forearms had transformed into bulkier, reptilian claws. As Jake flew at the building he grabbed onto a rung with his powerful claw and launched himself upwards, using the incredible strength of his new arms to propel himself to the top of the building.

"Booyah!" Shouted Jake as he crested the rooftop, landing with a spray of loose gravel. Then, wasting no time, he started to dash forward, towards the sickeningly wide gap of air that separated his rooftop and the next. Two jumps ahead, he could see the agile form of the goblin, escaping with his backpack. Jake ran as fast as he could, and coiled himself like a spring until at the last moment, he launched himself into the air with all the momentum he had. He had made it about a quarter of the way across the gap before his angle began to drop, and his heart jumped into his throat.

"Wings… Come on, wings!" Jake shouted, straining and fighting to summon them. His mind raced as the concrete began to fly towards his face at an alarming rate, and he scrunched his eyes closed. Then, _whoosh!_ He caught air! Two huge, leathery bat wings had sprung from his shoulder blades in a burst of light, and had caught the air beneath them like a massive parachute. Jake let out a thrilled whoop of excitement and used his careening force to launch sideways like a bullet through an alley, and then angled himself straight up, spiraling himself into the air at speeds a bird would blush at. What a rush!

After regaining his composure, Jake course corrected, and began to soar across the rooftops, to where he had seen the goblin running. He scanned the rooftops, squinting and trying to catch sight of his quarry, but there was no trace. Puzzled, Jake landed nimbly on the roof where he had last seen it, and walked to the edge to look down. The alley below was about as normal as any alleyway went: a few dumpsters, a sleeping homeless guy, and a few back doors. As Jake's eyes panned along the walls, he realized one of these doors was propped ajar, the inside a mysterious, beckoning darkness, and trailing out, just barely visible, was the tip of a bluish green tail.

"Gotcha," Jake said, hopping off the side of the building and letting his wings take him safely down. He landed, quietly, beside the hobo, making sure not to wake him, for fear of having to explain how he had grown bat wings and lizard arms. Technically, he wasn't even supposed to be using his abilities outside of his mentor's supervision, but what his grandfather didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Taking careful steps towards the door, Jake prepared to spring into action, in case the goblin had set up some sort of trap. However, as he got closer to the entryway, he realized the truth of the situation.

The door, Jake noticed as he got closer, was much less rusted over and worn than the others of its kind that lined the alley. It had a strange logo on it, almost faded from view, but something about it didn't sit right with Jake. Inside didn't lead into the back hall of some greasy spoon diner, or anything of the sort. Instead, the doorway led into a small, false room, in the back of which rested an odd machine. Its body was thin from the front, but wide and circular from the side, like a disc. All in all, it looked like a menacing, armored pitching machine. The goblin, for its misfortune, was tangled up in a weighted net made of taught black chord, and was struggling, to no avail, for freedom.

"What the juice?" Jake said under his breath.

Just then, he heard the screeching of brakes. He looked down at a reflective hubcap to see, at the far end of the alleyway, a white van pulling into view. It's side was facing Jake's back, and the side door slid open to reveal three burly men, clad in dark burgundy uniforms, their faces covered by ski masks. They each bore a strange insignia somewhere on there person: a red disc with two semicircle pieces missing from it, so that it took on a menacing, bladed design. Jake didn't have time to wonder what that symbol meant, however, because the two of them men produced metal batons and one of them, a strange, bulky looking rifle.

The two men with batons activated them, and they produced a warbling, shimmery atmosphere of energy around the business ends. Jake grimaced. He didn't want to get hit with one of those. Not to mention the guy with the video game gun. Jake turned his eyes to the reflection of shooter, even as the melee fighters began to get out of the vehicle. He sneered at the dragon boy, never once taking his eye out of his scope. Jake gulped. Where there were color coordinated goons like this, there were bound to be more. He couldn't let them see his face. Only one thing to do.

From the point of view of the masked men, as they arrived on the scene, they saw a young boy, maybe 13, from behind. He seemed not to move, but he stood in front of their price. Not to mention, there were 6 foot long bat wings jutting out from his shoulder blades. Then, as the baton wielding goons came closer, the wings lowered to cover the boy's body, like a shield. They knew that wouldn't stop their energy batons, and charged forward to deliver a neutralizing strike on this bat boy. Then, the alleyway became a few degrees hotter, and before the goons knew it, their feet were tripped up from underneath them by what felt like the force of a rolling log.

"Booyah! Perfect time for tail!" Jake exclaimed, as his newly formed lizard's appendage lashed out and tripped the two thugs in melee. He was far from finished. "Now for you in the _back!"_

There was a burst of heat and light as he said the last word, and his entire face transformed in a flash. One moment, he had the fleshy face of a Chinese-American teen, and the next, his visage had been replaced by the craggy, menacing, and fanged maw of a red dragon, complete with a bright green plumage that matched his dyed human hair, all mounted on top of his human neck and torso. . Jake opened his mouth, and from it rocketed a bolt of condensed flame, shooting straight towards the rifle wielding goon in the getaway car. There was a meaty smacking sound, and a heavy grunt as the force of the blast sent him tumbling onto his back in the van, dropping his gun. His jacket, it seemed, was flame resistant, because he did not catch fire.

Jake, while still not sure who these new enemies were, was bright enough to realize that they were here to pick up whatever their trap had caught. So, before the two goons in front could get back to their feet, he scooped up the goblin and his backpack, and took off at a run before jumping into the air and pounding down with his great, red wings, catching air and launching him and his cargo high into the air in one go. The goblin let out a high pitched shriek of terror as the earth suddenly jumped away from them at dozens of miles an hour, and Jake couldn't help but laugh a little.

"You're probably not used to being up this high, huh?" he said. "Trust me, dude. You're better off up here than down there."

The goblin swallowed its fear and closed its eyes, and hoped that this strange dragon boy who he had made the mistake of robbing would not eat him. Jake, meanwhile, got high enough that he wouldn't be seen by any of the passerby below. It was Friday afternoon in New York City, so he had to fly up pretty high, and soon the goblin's teeth were chattering. Jake winced with a bit of guilt, but flew on, heading to the only place he could think to go. After barely a minute of flying, they began to descend rapidly into Chinatown, and just before he hit the ground, there was another flash of energy and his dragon parts vanished, leaving just Jake Long.

"Sorry about this, dude," Jake said, picking up the goblin by the net and shoving him into the backpack, despite his wiggling protests. "Most of the other tenets in our complex are not gonna take well to your little blue ass running around. Just hang out a little longer until I can get you to gramps."

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**Subnote:** _And just like that, our tale begins. Did you spot the references to other cartoons? What do you think of the story, so far? Let me know everything in the reviews, and be sure to Favorite and Follow so you don't miss the next chapter!_


	2. The Dragon's Duty

**Author's Note:** _Hey again! Glad to see you came back for the second chapter! I think Fu Dog is one of my favorite characters from American Dragon. Who are yours? How do you like my portrayals, and who do you want to see? Let me know in the comments, and if you like what you read, a kudos goes a long way, and if you wanna keep up with the universe, give us a bookmark! Without further ado: enjoy!_

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**Chapter 2: The Dragon's Duty**

Doing his best to ignore the feral backpack that was trying to jostle its way off of his back, and hoping that anybody he passed by would do the same, Jake began to jog up the steps to his grandpa's apartment, two at time. Jake's parents lived in the same building as his grandfather, though not on the same floor. While he spent most of his time going from the first floor apartment to school and back, on weekends, he attended a very strict training regimen with his grandfather and mentor on the top floor of the complex.

Jake's powers had only been developing for a handful of years now. The draconic traits that were his birthright tended to manifest around ten years of age, and would continue to hone and mature until he was a fully fledged adult dragon. Soon, Jake knew, he would be able to conquer the first major roadblock on his path to mastering his powers: going full dragon. Jake could summon pieces of the red dragon now, but once he was able to take on the full form, he would be ready to graduate and begin the _real_ Dragon training. As things stood, Jake's grandfather forbid the use of his powers outside of his direct supervision, and his Dragon training was limited to long lectures about the "delicate balance" and the "duty of the Dragon", as well as long stretches of meditation.

"Would you quit it? Someone's gonna think I've got a cat in here," Jake muttered as he left the stairwell on the top floor, hitching up the strap of his violent carry-on. As he made his way down the hallway, lined with identical doors, (some of which sported the occasional festive red scroll left over from February) he watched a plump, grey dog waddle out from a door at the far end. It came out and sat on the ground, its wrinkled face drooping down so that it's eyes were nearly hidden. Even so, Jake knew it was watching him approach, and when he was a few paces closer he called out to it. "What're you looking at, flea bag?"

"Who you callin' flea bag?" the dog said, in a raspy voice. Then, its face shifted upwards to reveal its keen, dark eyes. They squinted at the rustling bag over Jake's shoulder. "... Do I wanna know what's in the bag, Jake?"

"It's a goblin. Now move it, F.D., I gotta talk to grandpa," Jake said, brushing past the dog and jimmying the apartment door open with his butt. As Jake stumbled unceremoniously backwards, the dog trotted inside, and made a bee line for the main room of Jake's grandfather's apartment. It was a spacious studio apartment, and there were straw mats across the floor. An ever-changing assortment of furniture and training equipment, both traditional Chinese and otherwise, would occupy the space on any given day.

"I know you gotta talk to him," the dog said, "and so does he. Matter'a fact, weren't you supposed to be here, talkin' to him, about… 20 minutes ago?"

"My thoughts, exactly, Fu Dog," came a voice from the opposite end of the room. It was old, wizened, and heavy with a Chinese accent.

Jake's grandfather was not a tall man. He was maybe half as tall as Jake, and stood stooped over and small, with a long, drooping white beard, and balding white hair. He wore a blue robe, and sat cross-legged on the floor. Fu Dog had found his place, sitting on the right hand side of Luong. Placed before the old man was a soft looking pillow, and as Jake came forward and shrugged the bag off of his shoulders, his grandfather gestured to the pillow.

"Here. Place creature on pillow," Luong said.

"Sorry I'm late, gramps, there was this…" Jake stalled as he pulled the goblin free of the backpack. It was still tied up, but it stopped struggling, now just casting its abnormally large eyes around the room. "Wait, hang on. How did you know I caught a creature?"

"I am Dragon Master. I possess formidable powers, chief among them the wisdom of experience."

"He saw you land behind the Panda Express," Fu Dog chimed in. Luong didn't flinch. Instead, he leaned forward, and began to untangle the goblin from the net (an activity that proved tedious, as it had entangled itself even more by squirming around in Jake's bag). Jake sat across from his grandfather, crossing his legs and arms and watching the old man work with a bit of sourness. A part of him felt that it served the goblin right, having stolen his backpack.

"Where did you find this goblin?" Luong asked. Jake quickly recounted the tale of what had happened following school that day. By the time the boy had finished his story, his mentor had finished untangling the goblin, and the little creature sprang away with glee. Jake and Fu Dog stumbled back slightly as it dashed around the room with remarkable speed, looking for an exit. Luong, however, calmly made his way to the balcony, and opened the sliding door. It took less than a second for the blue ball of energy to make its way outside, and jump away to freedom. The old man lingered at the door for a moment.

"While I am disappointed that you are late because of… _skateboarding,_ " he said, a bit of contempt dripping into the word, "I am proud of your actions, young one. You were right to flee, and you may have saved that creature's life today."

"If you ask me, I kinda feel like I shoulda left it there," Jake said, clearly still holding a grudge. His grandpa stood at the door for a moment more, casting a lingering gaze on the sky, and then closed the door and turned around to face Jake once more.

"The Dragon's duty," the old man began, causing Jake to groan internally. "Is to protect the magical creatures that have accidentally wandered from the Boiling Isles to our Earth. And, to serve-"

"To serve as mediator between humanity and the world of magic. Yeah, yeah, I know," Jake said, cutting him off by finishing the credo. His mentor frowned, a vein pulsing slightly in the old man's forehead. He let out a frustrated sigh.

" _Listen,_ young one. _Learn,_ " he said, "you talk too much. Blindly babble the words back to me, while ignoring them! If you keep your mind rigid, it will not grow. If it does not take in, it will not give back. Your perspective, like your form, must remain fluid. Changing. Growing. What remains unwavering should be your resolve."

A long, heavy silence hung in the air. Jake hung his head, ashamed, and his master took calming breaths, quelling the boiling fire within him. Fu Dog looked back and forth between the two, though his expression was impossible to read, since he was a Sharpei. Luong, upon regaining his zen, placed a small, wrinkled hand on his student's shoulder, prompting Jake to look up. Over his mentor's shoulder, he could see the blue form of the goblin, on a nearby rooftop, running circles around another, similar creature. Something like pride and guilt stirred in Jake's heart.

"I know it is hard to take on the mantle, Jake," Luong said, offering the boy an encouraging look and a smile. "Grandpa was once Dragon student too. Sometimes, you may question your decisions. Follow your heart. Remember: you cannot change the past. Only the future… Now. Show me how far your training has come. Dragon's claws!"

"Woah, what, right n-?"

" _Dragon's Claws,_ young one!" The Dragon Master repeated. Without further hesitation, Jake crossed his arms forward, on top of each other in an 'X' shape.

" _Claws!"_ Jake said, and a burst of heat and light brought them out.

" _Dragon's Tail!"_

" _Tail!"_ Jake echoed, popping out his long, lizard's tail.

" _Dragon's Ear!":_

" _Ea-_ wait, ear?"

" _Dragon's-!"_

"Ok, ok, _Dragon's Ear!_ " Jake said. Two scaled, webbed ears flashed onto the sides of his head. Everything in the room suddenly became a lot louder.

" _Dragon Fire!"_ Luong exclaimed. As he did, he held out one arm, and in a flash of heat and light, a purple scaled claw took its place. The old man placed it in front of himself to shield him and Fu Dog from the incoming missile.

" _Fire,_ baby!" Jake called out, fully transforming his head into that of the Dragon, and sending a rocket of condensed flame forward, at an impressive speed. Not fast enough, however, as Luong caught the fireball with a swift snatch of his claw, and dispersed it into nothing.

"Hmm... " The wise old master said, stroking his wispy beard with the claws of his Dragon hand. He looked down to Fu Dog, who looked back up intelligently. "What do you think, Fu Dog?"

"There's no way. Kid just ain't ready, I bet my biscuits on it," the Sharpei said. Luong chuckled.

"We shall see," he said. He looked back to Jake, who stood on the balls of his feet, eager and ready. "Young one… _Dragon's Form._ "

Jake's eyes squinted, and then slowly widened. His face shifted from eagerness to childish excitement. He squatted a bit lower, took a deep breath, and hold his arms out in front of him, putting on a game face. Then, in one sharp move, he shifted into a heroic pose.

" _Dragon Up!_ " Jake shouted, slamming his foot to the floor. In a swirling display of bright light and harmless flame, the rest of Jake's body began to change. His great bat wings once again jumped from his back. A crest of spines began to jump from beneath Jake's skin, starting at his neck and travelling the length of his tail. His legs became sturdier, stronger, and reptilian, with powerful claws on the ends. Finally, his chest lengthened and became stronger than metal, covered in a slowly tanning array of red scales. He had taken on the complete Dragon form. Luong quirked an eyebrow.

"'Dragon Up'?" He mimicked. Jake shrugged his powerful shoulders, causing his wings to scratch the popcorn ceiling of the old man's apartment.

"My biscuits!" Fu Dog wailed.

"I did it!" Jake said, his voice somehow sounding the exact same, even though it was coming out of a 9-foot-long Dragon. "I finally did it! Dragon form, baby, booyah!"

"Hmph. Congratulations are in order, young Dragon," his mentor said. Jake kneeled before him. "You are now ready to begin your first steps towards becoming The Dragon."

"It was no sweat, gramp-" Jake paused, feeling the weight of the moment. "I mean… Thank you, Dragon Master."

"Do not thank Grandpa yet," Luong said, a hint of mirth in his voice. "Dragon training much harder from now on. Come back tomorrow morning, 8 o'clock. Do _not_ be late this time."


	3. The Dragon's Resolve

**Author's Note:** _Hey again! Welcome back to this weeks installment! Things are heating up for the American Dragon, and we've got some pretty interesting crossover stuff happening. Be sure to let me know what you think about this twist on Jake's story in the comments, and what you hope to see in the future of the series! As always, a Kudos or Bookmark will make my day! Anyway, enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Dragon's Resolve**

The next morning, Jake was late. By the time he had ran up the stairwell and into Luong's apartment, the old man was nowhere to be seen. However, resting in the center of the main room was a large black cauldron, full of what appeared to be boiling water, despite the absence of any fire. As Jake started to walk forward and get a closer look, Fu Dog appeared from the hallway that led into the rest of the apartment, carrying a zip-loc bag full of some kind of blue dust in his mouth. The dog came over to Jake, and dropped the bag at his feet.

"Oh, good, you finally showed up." he said, "pour this in the pot."

Jake, despite having no clue what was happening, did so, opening the baggy and tipping its contents into the bubbling stew. There was an immediate hissing sound, and the powder tinted the water slightly pink, with a bit of blue froth on top. Jake peered into the cauldron and raised an eyebrow, but turned back to Fu Dog.

"Where's the old man?" He asked.

"On the roof," Fu Dog said, hopping up and putting his forepaws on the lip of the cauldron so that he could get a better look inside. His wet, dog nose sniffed at the mixture, and he shook his head and turned to go back to where he must have gotten the blue powder.

"What's he doing up there?" Jake asked.

"Waitin' for you!" Fu Dog called over his shoulder.

Jake shook his head, walking over to the door that led to the balcony and stepping out onto it, and then onto the fire escape. He ran his excuse for being late over and over again in his head. When Dragon training had ended the night previously, Jake had lost hold of his dragon form after only about 5 minutes, and it had exhausted him, causing him to sleep like a rock from the moment he had gotten home until a good while after his alarm had sounded.

Jake found his grandfather on the roof, as Fu Dog had said. The Dragon Master was sitting, cross legged with his eyes closed, on the edge of the building. It was a crisp, sunny spring morning, and Jake shivered slightly as he came forward to sit next to his instructor, at the behest of a hand motion from the latter. The two of them sat in silence for a little while longer, Luong enjoying the sun on his face, and Jake impatiently waiting for the lesson to begin. When Luong took a breath to speak, Jake hastily turned towards him.

"You," the old man said, "are late. _Again._ "

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. I guess the Dragon form took a lot more out of me than I expected it to. I sawed some serious logs last night."

"You sawed logs?"

"I slept really hard." Jake quickly clarified. English was not his grandfather's first language, and sometimes the old man had trouble with turns of phrase, such as 'sawing logs'.It didn't help that Jake was prone to picking up and using new slang on a daily basis.

"I see," Luong said. "Not to worry, young one. This is normal. Taking on the form for the first time is always the hardest, but you will find that like a muscle, the Dragon's form can be strengthened through dedicated training, and healthy lifestyle."

The old man stood up with a grunt, and walked deliberately so that he was about 15 feet away from Jake, the student following his lead and standing opposite him. Luong then began to do some stretches, starting first with his legs, bending at the knee and then leaning over, with apparent difficulty, to touch the top of his sock-and-sandal covered toes. Jake stifled a laugh. Then, Luong stretched out his shoulders, arms, and finally his neck with some fluid, rolling motions. When he was finished, he rubbed his hands together eagerly, and then assumed a martial arts stands, one hand high behind his head in a fist, and the other pointed, palm forward, towards Jake.

"Now, young student," the Dragon Master said, "time to test what you have learned. _Dragon's Form,_ and then come at Grandpa with all you have."

The wind blew across the New York City rooftop, tossing Jake's hair and Luong's beard, as well as the flaps of their clothing. Jake took on a battle stance, and his opponent shifted his foot just an inch. Jake squinted, trying to make sense of the movement, but shook his head. Focus. Be here and now, he thought, drawing on training the old man had given him before.

" _Dragon Up!_ " Jake exclaimed, and in a display of magic flame, his form became that of the red Dragon, 9 feet of powerful muscle beneath a thick layer of nearly indestructible scales. Jake's heart started racing as he felt the rush of the full Dragon form once more. There was nothing like it. He felt like a truck, he felt like a _tank!_ He could fly faster than any jet, smash through any wall, shoot _fire_ out of his freaking _face!_ He was unstoppable.

Jake flexed his claws, stretched his wings, and shook out his tail. His grandfather had been right; already by the second time he had summoned the Dragon's form it felt much more natural. Before, he had needed to walk through the steps one by one, and even then had just barely managed to complete the transformation. Today, he called upon the entire form at once, and in half the time it had taken last night. Jake grinned with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth.

"Alright, gramps, let's do this. Go Dragon already," Jake said impatiently.

"Still not listening, young one," the Dragon Master said, still in the same position. "You have summoned _Dragon's Form._ Good. What comes next?"

Realization dawned on the young Dragon, and he quickly shifted into a more combat ready pose. He found it difficult to maneuver the Dragon's body in the way that he would his much smaller, more nimble human form, but eventually he managed to assume something like a battle stance. He looked his mentor up and down: a small, old, Chinese man in a house robe and sandals. Unassuming to the ill-informed observer, but Jake, even as the mighty Dragon, felt a twinge of fear and doubt in the pit of his stomach. Why did his grandfather refuse to go Dragon as well? Was he that confident? Jake shook his head to get rid of these thoughts, and instead plunged into the powerful rush of being a Dragon. He used that confidence to propel himself, and sprang forward to deliver the first blow.

His muscular hind legs launched him like a springboard, and Jake ended up flying across the rooftop at a much faster speed than he anticipated. Because of this, the punch he had intended to deliver with his front claw was horribly off balance, and even though he was moving very quickly, Luong was able to read the blow and step a few paces back and then to the side, easily avoiding it.. Jake, not one to slow down, continued the assault, and spun, trying to trip up the old man with his thick, powerful tail. Unfortunately for Jake, it seemed his mentor saw this strike coming as well, and squatted low enough that the tail, aiming for the old man's head, flew harmlessly by, displacing the air with a dangerous sounding _whiff._

"As Dragon, you have 3 weak spots," Luong instructed, as he rushed in, moving deceptively fast for one his age. He used his momentum to brush Jake's next powerful punch to the side, the young student still off balance in his new form, and delivered a swift and precise knuckle strike to Jake's abdomen, where the scales turned a lighter shade and were less dense. "The belly."

Jake let out a heavy grunt of pain, taking several steps back and doubling over, clutching his long, draconic torso in a surprising amount of pain. Had that punch landed on his tough back or leathery wings, it would have been glancing, and in the best case scenario, more harmful to Jake's attacker than to Jake himself. However, aimed as it was at his abdomen, about where the middle of a human's rib-cage would be, Jake felt a deep internal pain, as the old man seemingly struck something sensitive inside of the Dragon's body.

"The snout," The Dragon Master continued, deliver a swift kick to Jake's snout, which was protruded and exposed due to his doubling over in pain. Jake took another step back, pain searing up his face and tears making their way into his eyes. While he was used to that, another strange sensation washed over him. As he blinked back the fluid that blurred his vision, he realized that smoke was billowing out of his nostrils, and his instructor had backed up several feet. Jake raised a dragon brow, and then a strong itching sensation ran up his snout, and with a violent convulsion, he sneezed out a burst of flame, which Luong deftly avoided.

"And finally, a nerve cluster… _here!"_ Luong said, stepping in and delivering another efficient strike, wasting no energy, at the inside base of Jake's right wing, where it connected to the shoulder. Jake felt a sensation like hot needles and pins, and then he lost feeling in that shoulder, and subsequently, his wing. The appendage dropped like a loose tarp, hanging limply at his side.

"No fair, gramps! You know all the secrets!" Jake complained. A glimmer of mischief sparkled in the old man's eyes.

"Not fair? Frail old man versus spry young Dragon," Luong mused. "There are no secrets to controlling the Dragon's form, young one. Only lessons learned, and experience gained. Now that you know the weaknesses of your new body, you will be able to better guard against them, should you have to fight."

Jake rubbed his throbbing snout with one claw, and Luong began walking a few paces away, before turning around once more, and assuming his defensive martial arts pose.

"We will go again. And this time-" he started.

"Hey, Master!" Fu Dog said, hopping up the fire escape at that exact moment. The dog looked at Jake, clutching his nose and nursing a dead wing, and burst into a fit of laughter. Jake stuck his long, forked tongue out at the Sharpei, and once he had composed himself, Fu spoke once again to Luong. "The potion's ready."

As he finished his sentence, Jake's Dragon form vanished with a pulse of light, leaving the boy sweating. He dropped to one knee, and Luong went forward to see if he was alright, but the boy held up a hand in protest.

"I'm alright," Jake said, and surprisingly, he was. He felt winded, certainly, and his shoulder still ached a bit, but the thing he felt most was hungry. "I just really shouldn't have skipped breakfast."

"Fu Dog will prepare you something healthy while I bottle the potion," Luong said.

"What, how?"

"Once you have finished eating, you should feel better, and then we will depart on our flight." Luong finished, not answering Jake's question as he began to descend the steps of the fire escape. Jake sighed and then turned to Fu Dog, who looked up at him with his grey, wrinkled face.

"So, kid, ya like quinoa?" The dog asked.

* * *

Less than twenty minutes later, Jake and Luong were flying through the air at high speeds. Jake had enjoyed a surprisingly tasty quinoa salad prepared by Fu Dog, though he never saw how, and once it had settled in his stomach he found himself filled to bursting with energy. Then, he had taken on his Dragon's form once more, and watched as Luong too, took on the form. This was a rare sight, and the old man's Dragon form was much more impressive than Jake's, nearly 20 feet long, a midnight purple colored serpent coiling around itself, with long, flowing white plumage that looked like wisps of cloud.

It was still early morning when they arrived at Luong's destination, an empty field near a thick forest upstate. For a car, it might have taken a couple hours to get there from New York City, but as the Dragon flew, it was just about 30 minutes. As the two dragons touched down in the field, they returned to human form. Luong was unfazed, but Jake was a bit red in the face, and his mentor waited for him to catch his breath before signalling for him to follow, quietly. The wind blew gentle sounds into the long grass as they walked through it, and Jake couldn't help but take note of how peaceful it was. When the two of them reached the crest of a small hill, Luong stopped and held a hand out to stop his student, pointing down to the other end of the field, where it met the forest.

As they watched, a herd of creatures began to emerge from the treeline. At first Jake thought they might be horses, but as he squinted to get a better view, he noticed that each one sported a glittering, deadly looking horn protruding from the forehead. He raised his eyebrows.

"Unicorns…?" the boy breathed the question.

Luong was silent, his eyes glued to the herd, his expression deadly serious. As they watched, the herd began to spring forth and gallop across the field, eating, playing, and enjoying the pleasant spring day. Jake noticed that it was getting warmer as the day went on, and the chill breeze from earlier that morning was fast fading. The boy started to wonder why his instructor was acting so grim. However, a few moments later, the reason presented itself.

It broke the treeline at a dead run, its overly long legs carrying it in swift, lurching strides. One of its arms was shriveled and tiny, while the other was massive and overdeveloped, and it used the latter like an ape to propel itself even faster as it ran. Its body was a mottled mix of bright, pastel colors, and it had no face to speak of, instead something like stitching where each chunk of color met in the center of what almost looked like a torso. It came barreling towards the unicorns, and they whinnied in fear and scattered, each of the majestic creatures trying to get away from the horrific new predator.

Jake turned to his grandpa for guidance, but Luong wasted no time. There was a burst of heat and light, and then a long, purple dragon was shooting across the field, its tail spiraling behind it hypnotically. Luong flew straight towards the creature, and then then wrapped himself up to create a barrier between the strange creature and the fleeing unicorns. There was a rushing sound, and the Dragon Master released a torrent of violet flame from his mouth, scorching a line across the ground and stopping the monster in its tracks. Then, tension hung in the air, the unicorns galloping away, some even running past Jake. Neither Luong nor the creature moved.

Jake wanted to help. He tried his hardest to summon the Dragon's form, but he felt something like the pulling of a muscle in his stomach, and the only thing that happened was his tail shot out of his spine with a sad, flatulent sound. He sighed. He needed more time to recharge. All he could do now was sit and watch.

"Please!" Jake heard his mentor call out to the monster before him. "I come only to help! Do not walk this path again."

The two creatures in the field continued to stare each other down. Then, the horrific monster made a move. It bolted forward, lunging with its muscular arm to grab at Luong. The Dragon, reluctantly, flew back and easily avoided the blow, and then spun around to smash the creature into the ground with his mighty tail, the attack causing a small crater to appear beneath it. That was all it took. There was a loud _poof_ , followed by a burst of white smoke. When the haze had cleared, only Luong remained, as far as Jake could see, a solitary old man. Jake began to run across the field towards him.

The Dragon Master knelt in the field, drawing forth the potion bottle from inside of his robe, and as Jake arrived, he watched his mentor pour the strange blue liquid onto something that lay in the crater. Jake peered in, and saw what appeared to be a cluster of different colored gemstones, stuck together in a bizarre, jagged shape. The boy tilted his head, and Luong watched and waited. Nothing happened. The old man sighed.

"Grandpa…" Jake said. "What was that thing?"

"A creature in pain," Luong said. Sadly, the old man stooped to collect the strange fragmented object, and held it in both hands. "I'm afraid that, once again, I have failed to bring it peace… I'm sorry. Please hold on a little longer."

The two of them didn't say much after that. Luong had Jake stay outside of the forest while he wandered deep inside. When the Dragon Master returned, he no longer held the gemstone cluster, and his eyes were filled with a steely resolve once more. By then, Jake had rested up enough to summon the Dragon's form again, and they flew back to Chinatown without another word. When they got back, Fu Dog was waiting on the roof.

"How'd it go?" The Sharpei asked. "Did it work?"

"I'm afraid not, Fu Dog," Luong said, "but we must not give up. We will try again soon. For now, Jake, I think that will be enough Dragon training for today. You have the rest of the day of to focus on your mundane studies."

Jake nodded, and bid farewell to his mentor and Fu Dog before descending the stairs and heading back home. He did _not_ do his homework.


	4. The Dragon's Integrity

**Author's Note:** We live only in the now, only in the moment that rushes past with each second. That means, we can only affect now. And, by that logic, we _must._ That's why we have to stand for change. As a biracial individual in America, I've faced a lot of discrimination, and I have seen even more police brutality. We will no longer stay silent. Black Lives Matter. Today, and every single day. Change your now. Do something. Donate to bails, first aid funds, do your research and stay caught up. Keep your eyes open. This is global.

Now is a time for solidarity. If any of this is a problem for you, stop reading my art. You don't deserve it.

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Dragon's Integrity**

"Hey, grampa?" Jake asked.

"Mm?" His mentor replied. Jake peeked one eye open, to glance over at his grandfather. They were both sitting cross-legged in the center of Luong's apartment. They were _supposed_ do be meditating. They had been since 8 o'clock that morning. It was now almost 10. Fu Dog napped on a straw mat, where the sun shone in through the screen door and created a warm patch for him to lay in.

"Those guys… The ones who tried to capture that goblin. What do you know about them?"

Luong, his eyes still closed, took several more breaths before he spoke, leaving Jake hanging onto the silence in anticipation.

"Not very much. I believe, by your description of the insignia, that they may be copycat group trying to recreate a movement from when I was a young man," the Dragon Master said. Jake leaned in, instantly intrigued.

"What movement?" He immediately asked. With a sigh, Luong acknowledged that their meditation had come to an end, and rose to his feet to snuff the burning incense he had lit 2 hours previously. Fu Dog opened one eye lazily (though you couldn't tell by looking at him), and then closed it again.

"They called themselves… Huntsclan. They were young men mostly, though among their ranks there were experienced warriors as well. They hunted…sometimes killed magical beasts, to sell on black market. At the height of their power, their leader, who called himself the Huntsman, even began to contemplate exposure of magical beasts to public, to promote business."

"What happened to 'em?" Jake asked.

"Hmph," the old Dragon said, puffing up his chest proudly. "Grandpa happened to them! Men like Huntsman have always sought to exploit magical beasts, and Dragons have always been there to stop them. It has been that way, since the creatures came here from gate to Boiling Isles."

"Yeah, hey, about that," Jake said, veering slightly off topic. "If all of the magical monsters came here from the Boiling Isles through some magic portal a bajillion years ago, how come nobody's made another portal thing to zap them back to fantasy land?"

"Hmph! Now you begin to ask good questions, young one," Luong said. "Unfortunately, I do not know the answer. No human has ever been to Boiling Isles. It is the dimension that magic itself comes from."

"So did the first Dragon come from the Boiling Isles?"

"I thought you wanted to know about the Huntsclan," Luong interjected.

"I know plenty. They're bad news pizzoachers and I need to open a good old fashioned can of Dragon Whoopass on 'em next time I catch 'em in the streets," Jake said. Luong had to blink.

"What?" He asked.

"Kid said they're poachers, and he's gonna try to fight them as soon as he sees 'em," Fu Dog said with a snort from his spot by the door. He now lay on his back, his belly exposed to the sun.

"Never assume that you know everything about your enemy," Luong said sagely, "for that is when they will catch you off guard. Do not rush into this conflict, young one. This is a dangerous group, shrouded in mystery. For the sake of magical community, we must be patient, and learn more before we strike. For now, I am afraid that 'whoop-ass' does not come in a can. Come."

The old man went to the door, and retrieved his walking coat and shoes, as well as a wide brimmed brown hat. Jake joined him at the door, sliding his shoes on and picking up his backpack.

"Where we goin' gramps?" He asked.

"Today's Dragon lesson," Luong said, stopping at the door. "Fu Dog! Go for a walk?"

"Ya know, actually, Master," Fu Dog said groggily from the other end of the room, "I think I'll pass."

"Hmph. Very well," Luong said, adding: "Lazy dog," before leading the way down the hall, down the stairwell, and out into the streets of Chinatown. Jake knew these streets; he grew up on them. The pair of them began to stroll at a leisurely pace. Every now and then, Luong would spot somebody he or both of them knew, and waved them down for a bit of brief, polite conversation about how their lives were going. When Luong paused at a produce cart to inspect a crop of pears, Jake leaned over and spoke to him in a hushed tone.

"Grandpa, I thought we were going to a Dragon lesson. Now we're buying pears?" The boy asked.

"The Dragon's duty," Luong said simply. "It is our job as Dragons to serve as mediator between humanity and the world of magic. Our job is not always battling the agents of darkness. As you progress your Dragon powers further, you must be certain not to forget your humanity, lest you lose it."

"So yes," Luong went on, now in a louder voice as he placed a few ripe looking pears on the counter top. "We are buying pears. Also, a few kiwifruits, please Wang."

The man behind the counter was probably the only man who was close to Jake's grandfather's age in the entire neighborhood. Wang Fu had been Jake's neighbor and the local fruit vendor for as long as he could remember, as well as a prominent member of the community for many years, following his immigration from Paris during World War II. He and Luong were known to get into long arguments sometimes, but it was common knowledge that they were good friends. So, as Luong placed the fruits down for purchase, Wang smiled.

"Luong Lao Shi! Good to see you," the old vendor said. "I must say I am glad for your love of pears. Thanks to your unhealthy consumption of the fruit, I will be able to move back to Paris much sooner than I expected!"

"You always say you moving back to Paris, Wang, but you never do. Just go already, so I don't have to listen to you talk about it anymore," Luong jeered good-naturedly, handing money to his friend, and not bothering with change. Wang Fu gave Luong a bit of a sad smile.

"I'm afraid that I mean it, this time, old friend," he said. "I plan to return by the time the leaves fall. I've stayed here, in fear of what I might return to in Paris… But no more. Wang Fu will not run away from love, or from destiny!"

"Hmph! Well, that certainly does sound like the Wang Fu I know," Luong said. "I wish you luck. We will have to meet and discuss your plans for the…"

"Of course, of course," Wang said. "We will have our fair share of conversations before my time here is done. If I recall, you still owe me a game of _Go."_

"Another? What, you want to lose again?" Luong joked. The two men shook hands heartily. "Very well. I shall see you soon, and we will settle this."

From there, Jake and Luong took their leave, and continued their stroll through town. It continued this way, until Jake began to tune out of where he was, and his mind began to race. What would he do if he ever did encounter those Huntsclan goons again? Would he fight them? _Could_ he? He had been lucky last time, but he did not want to be on the receiving end of any of the nasty looking weapons they had been carrying. Not to mention, he was still a novice at best when it came to his Dragon powers. Then, there was the heavy burden of keeping it all a secret from the people close to him; even Jake's mother's fiance, Jonathan, didn't know.

"Jake."

It was Luong. They were standing outside of their apartment building once more, and Luong had been trying to get his student's attention for quite some time now. He had been lost in thought.

"What's that, gramps?" Jake said.

"That will be all for today," the Dragon repeated. "Your mother has hardly seen you all weekend, and I am sure that you have plenty of homework to do."

"Wait, that's that whole lesson? All we did was walk around the block for an hour! What about the flying, the sparring, the fire breathing?" Jake protested. Luong sighed.

"Still much to learn, young one," the old man said. "This lesson teaches one of the most vital traits the Dragon can possess. Integrity. Go on, now. Grandpa gave Tang Shen from down the street his phone number. She will be here any second. We are getting dumplings."

"Oh, _gross_ ," Jake said, picturing the sight of the two old people canoodling over fried food. It was enough to get Jake's mind off of training, and he bid farewell to his mentor for the final time that weekend before returning to the familiar sounds and smells of his apartment.

That afternoon, the sounds were of his little sister practicing piano in the other room, and the smells were his mother cooking lunch in the kitchen for her. Jake dropped his training backpack down by the front door, slipped off his shoes, and then wandered into the kitchen to see what was cooking.

"Hey, Jake," Susan said. Susan was a tall woman, with shapely legs and a straightforward personality. She was known for her direct approaches to most situations, and was a deeply compassionate person. She smiled at her son as he leaned in to catch a whiff of the grilled cheese sandwich she was making. "Do you want one? You must be hungry after Dragon training."

" _Mom,_ " Jake warned, looking over his shoulder. Susan laughed.

"Jonathan is working until later tonight, relax," she said. Jake calmed visibly. "Do you want a grilled cheese or not?"

"Sure," Jake said, opening the fridge and pouring himself a glass of orange juice. He peeked around the corner to the other room. There, he saw his sister, Haley. She looked like a tiny version of her mom, with just a slightly lighter complexion. Unlike Jake, Jonathan was Haley's biological father. She was lying on the ground, hands on her chin, playing a game on a tablet. Protruding from the back of her spine was a long, lavender colored tail, and it was meticulously tapping the keys of a grand piano that rested in the corner of the living room. Haley glanced up once at Jake, and raised an eyebrow.

"Haley's playing piano with her tail, again," Jake said.

"Haley, no Dragon powers during piano practice!" Susan called from the kitchen. Haley blew a raspberry at Jake, and with a flash, her tail vanished. The little girl made her way back to the bench in front of the piano, and began to play it properly.

"I couldn't even _make_ the tail when I was 5," Jake said, crossing his arms glumly, "let alone play piano with it."

"Your sister is 8, Jacob," Susan corrected, "and… Uh, girl Dragons get their powers earlier than boy Dragons?"

Jake looked at his mother quizzically. She sighed.

"I don't know, kiddo. The Dragon powers skipped my generation. I never trained to be the Dragon… Why do you think your grandfather is still holding the mantle at his age?" She said.

"I hope I don't have to be the Dragon for as long as he has," Jake said. "As soon as Haley's old enough, she can take over."

Susan knew her son well enough to know that he was conflicted. The boy was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, and looking at his socks. She finished plating the two sandwiches, and then came over and rested her hand on top of Jake's head, comfortingly. It was something she did often, with both of her kids. She waited until he looked at her to speak.

"What's wrong, Jake? I thought you were starting to get excited about Dragon practice," She said. Jake looked to the side.

"I was… I mean, I thought I was. The wings, the flying, the fire breath, all of that stuff is so cool!" Jake sighed. "But… Grandpa keeps talking about all of these responsibilities that I'm gonna have, and all these sacrifices that I'm gonna have to make… It's heavy, you know? I just wanna be me, but now… Now it's like I have a whole world that needs me."

Susan waited for some time before she said anything, gently stroking her son's hair.

"I know its a lot to take on, son," she said. "I know what its like to have people that rely on you. To feel like every step you do or don't take means so much. I may not be a Dragon, but I am a mom. All I can tell you is that you can do this, and you aren't alone. You have your grandpa to guide you every step of the way, and you'll always, always have me, too. Don't forget that."

It wasn't everything that Jake wanted to hear. Then again, Jake wasn't sure what he wanted to hear. Maybe some kind of escape. A way out. That wasn't the case, though, and that sense of entrapment began to stir deep inside of him. Fear of becoming as helpless as the goblin he had saved, one day, at the hands of some mighty foe. Maybe even this Huntsman. As Dragon, Luong had said, it was his duty to stop such men. These thoughts and more kept Jake's mind addled that night, and he didn't get any of his homework done. By the time he had gotten to sleep, the light of the sun was creeping in through his window.


	5. A Rose in Springtime

**Author's Note:** _Heya, welcome back to another chapter! Glad to see there are quite a few of you keeping up at this point! I'd love to hear what you think of the story so far, and what your predictions are for the future of the book, as well as what you hope to see in the future of the series! I do take suggestions into account._

_Also, as you know, the fight is not over until we reach equality! I encourage you to seek out petitions, and continue to do research on how you can continue to fight the good fight every single day. We need everyone! #BLM_

_Now, enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

**Chapter 5: A Rose in Springtime**

When he finally drifted into sleep, Jake dreamed of Rose. He was standing at his locker in school, though if he looked too far down the hall one direction or the other it seemed to fade into wisps of white cloud. Then, before his very eyes, he saw her. She was walking down the hall towards him, flanked on either sides by girls whose faces didn't matter right then. Rose had his full attention. She laughed at a joke her friend made, and then turned forward. They made eye contact. Her smile widened, and she gave him a wave. This was his chance! He could finally ask her to the Spring Fling. He waved back, opened his mouth to speak, and-

"Jake! The school bus is here! _Hurry up!_ "

The voice cut through his dream like a knife through sheet paper; harsher, louder, and more sudden than he could have expected. With a shout of surprise, Jake tumbled back, falling through the floor and seemingly into an endless pit, reaching up towards the fast disappearing face of Rose. He summoned his wings frantically, but he was too late. The bottom was coming up too fast! Then, with a thud, he landed on his backside on the floor of his room. He had fallen out of bed, and the wings that he had summoned had knocked most of the things off of his dresser. The door to his room opened then, and Susan barged in. She blinked once before she spoke.

"What are you doing in here? Get dressed, the bus is outside!" She said. There was a loud honk from Jake's window, as if to emphasize his mother's point. "Hurry! And put those wings away!"

Jake did as he was told, frantically pulling on some jeans and a t-shirt, nearly forgetting socks. He swiped a piece of toast on his way out the door, shrugged on his red jacket and backpack, and scrambled outside. The bus drive was just closing the door as Jake bolted outside, and she raised her eyebrows as he came careening towards her, but she opened the door and let him on. He breezed past her, and began to walk down the aisle, trying to spot either of his friends. He passed by Valerie, a big, pretty, black girl who was close friends with Rose. They made eye contact, but Valerie didn't seem too pleased with that fact. Then, he passed by the younger kids section of the bus, where his sister, Haley, gave him a smug grin. He stuck his tongue out at her.

Finally, he spotted the bobbing curls of Trixie, as well as the signature skullcap of their friend Spud. Spud was a lanky white kid with messy brown hair and a sort of lost look in his eyes. Trixie and Jake still weren't sure whether he was a genius or not, because the things he said alternated between startling genius and astonishing stupidity, but they loved him all the same. He and Trixie waved as Jake approached, and scooted in so that the three of them could share the seat.

"Yo, yo!" Jake said.

"Ayo, yo!" Spud echoed. "What's up J-dizzle? I haven't seen you since, like, Thursday."

"We saw him on Friday, Spud," Trixie said.

"Oh, yeah," Spud said, "even longer."

"So how was your super mandatory tutoring, Jake?" Trixie asked. Jake felt the heat around his collar.

"Uh, you know, boring," he lied. "Lots of, uh, studying."

"Mmm-hmm," Trixie said, clearly not convinced. She made a passive face like she wasn't going to pursue it further right now, and that somehow made Jake feel even worse about it. Yikes.

The bus slowed to a stop. They had arrived at Millard Filmore Middle School. The kids began to file out through the aisle, and as Jake stepped down off of the bus, he caught a glimpse of a fancy car driving up behind it. It was super clean, painted a deep maroon color, and had its windows tinted dark. Jake's heart skipped a beat. He knew whose car that was. A moment later, the passenger seat door opened and out stepped Rose. She brushed a bit of blond hair out of her eye with one hand; the one that bore her bizarre dragon tattoo (which Jake thought was the coolest thing in the world). Valerie went over to chat excitedly with Rose, and Spud and Trixie came up on either side of the practically drooling Jake.

"Dude, when are you just gonna ask her?" Spud said casually. "The longer you wait, the more you risk psyching yourself out. Take a chance, man."

"I'm gonna!" Jake squirmed. "I just… gotta find the perfect time. She hates science, so if I catch her after third period she might be in a bad mood. Plus, if Valerie is there, my chances go down like, 9,000 percent."

"Watchu got against Valerie Gray?" Trixie asked.

" _I_ don't have any problem with her, but every time she sees _me,_ she acts like I just killed her dog or something," Jake said. Just then, the bell for first period rang. "Trust me, I'm gonna ask her. I just gotta wait for my moment. You'll see!"

With that, they each went to class. Jake, miserably, remembered that he had not done a single page of homework over the entire weekend, and thus was singled out in each of his classes. If that wasn't enough, at one point he saw Valerie whisper in Rose's ear, pointing across the room at him. Then, the two had shared a quiet laugh. That caused Jake's ears to turn red, and he slid low into his seat in shame. Needless to say, Jake did not end up asking Rose to the dance that day.

Over the course of the next few days, Jake tried several times to work up the courage to ask her, but somehow each day felt like it wasn't quite right. At one point, Spud warned him that he was overthinking it, and that any time could be the perfect time if he just stayed true to himself and spoke from the heart. (That had surprised Trixie.) The three of them spent a lot of time at the abandoned water park that week, skateboarding and trying to think of ways to help Jake get over his stage fright.

His moment finally came on Thursday, at the end of 4th period. He made an excuse to use the bathroom early, like he always did right before lunch, and when he had finished his business he started to walk down the hall towards Trixie and Spud's Spanish class, where he would wait for them to finish up, like always. However, as he turned a corner, he was met with a rush of blond hair, the smell of lilac, and a cascade of heavy textbooks. He and the other person collided, and then both fell back and onto the ground. Jake winced, rubbing his side, and looked up to see who he had run into.

"Rose?" He said. The girl looked up from where she had knelt down to start collecting her books, and gave him a confused smile.

"Jake?" She mimicked.

"Uh, let me help," Jake said, shaking off his stupor and leaning forward to help Rose collect her dropped things Once they were securely in his arms, the two of them stood up and sat in awkward silence for a minute.

"Thanks… You gonna give me my stuff back? Or was this some kind of complicated scheme to get a new math book?" Rose joked. Jake laughed, nervously, and felt his face flare up.

"Hahaha, oh yeah, sorry," he said, holding out the stack of books at arms length. As Rose went to take them back from him, he suddenly stiffened, and the words left his mouth before he could contain them. "Hey, you know, there's the Spring Fling coming up next week. I, heh, I know it might seem kind of sudden, but, I think you're like… Straight up fine, shawty. And I'm tryna take you… aight?"

He said the buzzwords halfheartedly, because they could never capture what his heart felt in full. Slightly embarrassed, he looked up at her, awaiting a response. Rose took her books from him, and giggled a little bit. Jake gulped.

"The dance, huh? Yeah, I almost forgot…" Rose said. She seemed to ponder the question, and as she did, the bell rang, causing Jake to jump. That bell meant lunch, and students began pouring impatiently out of classroom doors, eager to eat. She laughed. "How about this. I haven't decided yet. Maybe next time you ask, if you don't call me 'shawty'... I'll make up my mind."

With that, she turned on her heel and bounced away, moments later linking arms with Valerie, who excitedly spoke with her before looking over her shoulder and glaring daggers at Jake. The young Dragon felt a shiver down his spine. That girl scared the crap out of him. The two of them continued to chat and walk off, in the opposite direction of the cafeteria. This wasn't uncommon, the two of them would sometimes eat in a private room. Rose's family apparently had arranged accommodations for that. At least, that was the rumor to where she got off to. There were only a handful of girls that seemed to know Rose closely, and they were very cliquey and secretive.

"Hey, bro," said Spud, coming up to Jake from behind and patting him on the shoulder. "I was watching from the drinking fountain. What'd she say?"

"I'm not sure exactly," Jake said, "but I think I might have blew it. I called her shawty, and I guess she didn't like that. She told me to try again, though, so… maybe there's a chance?"

"No way," Trixie said, now also joining their small huddle by the corner of the hallway. "You called her shawty? What else did you say?"

Jake told them the entire story, and Trixie stifled a laugh while Spud looked completely confident.

"You're in, my friend," Spud said, offering a thumbs up.

"You're screwed, J," Trixie said, snorting a laugh. "C'mon, we better get to the cafeteria before all the Thursday pizza is gone. I am _not_ doing leftover sloppy joe."

The three of them drifted through the sea of middle-schoolers, slowly but surely making their way to the Millard Filmore cafeteria. As they walked through the lunch line, Jake tried to keep an eye out for Rose, but didn't see her anyway. Not that he expected to, he just wasn't sure how to cope with the answer that she had given him. His adolescent brain was spinning at the fact that he had spoken with her, face to face, let alone asked her to the dance… And called her "straight up fine." Jake's mood began to rapidly decrease, and as the three friends sat down at their usual spot to eat, he was miserably poking at his applesauce with a fork, leaning his cheek on one hand. Trixie looked to Spud, who was engulfed in pizza, and then sighed.

"Listen Jake, all she's asking for is some respect. I know you don't know what that word means yet, 'cuz you a 13 year old boy, but just… treat her like a person." She offered. Jake mulled over her statement, and then opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. He felt a sudden chill run down his spine, and his senses snapped into overdrive. He felt more than heard the heavy footsteps, the roaring breath, the stampede that came behind it. Whatever it was, it was coming fast.

"Woah, Jake, you good bro?" Spud asked. "You're, like, spacing out hardcore."

"Uh, guys," Jake said. "I think-"

Before Jake could finish his sentence, there was a thunderous crumbling sound as the far wall of the cafeteria exploded in a spray of concrete and debris. Dust and dirt kicked and clouded up, and kids began to scream in all directions. The sounds of chairs scooting and things falling over rang out, and above it all was a monstrous, bovine roar. As the dust began settle down, Jake and his friends took cover behind an overturned table. Jake slowly peeked up over the table to get a look at what had happened.

Maybe 20 feet away from Jake stood a creature that towered over anything else he had encountered. It had to be almost 9 feet tall, and built like an incredibly muscular man, with a few key exceptions. First of all, it bore the muscular, furry hindquarters and head of a bull. Second of all, it was half _freaking bull._ The minotaur once again shouted its roar of challenge, and swung out with a huge fist, crushing a nearby cement pillar. Jake heard, deep within that roar, something like pain, and squinted to see better. Something stood out, against the dark fur of the beasts huge head. A few maroon feathers, like the end of a dart.

" _Eyes of the Dragon,_ " Jake said under his breath. There was a subtle flash, and his eyes were replaced with the yellow eyes of a reptile. His vision suddenly snapped into a focus he didn't know it had, like the keen eyes of a tyrannosaurus. He spotted the cause of this monsters distress: two metal darts, flagged with maroon tails. Jake had a pretty good guess as to where those came from.

"What was that?" Spud said.

"Nothing, we gotta go!" Jake said, trying to get the two of them moving. The crowd of students mobbing towards the exits was thick, and soon the three of them got separated. _Probably for the best_ , Jake thought, as he used the chaos to slip just out of view of the fleeing crowd, behind another overturned table. _This could get ugly. I better get my drip on._

" _Dragon Up!_ "


	6. A Joke About Beef

**Author's Note:** _Hey again, welcome back! Fun fact: we're about halfway through! Jake's story is starting to heat up, no pun intended, and as you can see, there are a lot of moving pieces, both from the original series canon and from some special guests. What are your predictions for the future of the Danger Watch series? Is there an event, character, or relationship that you hope gets adapted? I'd love to see what you have to say in the comments, and as always, a Kudos/Bookmark goes a long way!_

_#BLM! Every day! Enjoy the story!_

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**Chapter 6: A Joke About Beef**

Even in his Dragon form, Jake barely matched the size of the minotaur. As he vaulted over the table, Jake saw the beast turn around, seemingly sensing the potential threat. Jake, still not entirely comfortable in the Dragon's body, flared his wings out in surprise, bringing him to a swift stop. The dust swirled from the shifting in the air, and it created a ring around the two creatures as they faced off. The minotaur snorted, a blast of hot air blowing from its snout.

"Hey, buddy," Jake said, trying to sound as soothing as possible. "I'm not here to hurt you, ok?"

The minotaur's eyes, Jake noticed, were bloodshot and glossy, and didn't seem to be focusing. However, one thing that did shine distinctly in them was the deep scarlet of Jake's scales. _Oh, crap,_ Jake thought. One of the bull's hind legs scraped along the cafeteria floor, and it settled itself lower on haunches, its wicked looking horns pointing toward's Jake's belly. A primal fear fluttered for a moment in the draconic parts of Jake's mind, but he shook it away. He had to focus. The tension held for a moment longer, and just as it seemed the minotaur was going to charge forward and break it, the two of them both twitched. A sound that would have been inaudible to a human rang true in both of their ears. Stealthy footsteps.

Jake and the minotaur turned towards the hole the beast had made in the wall mere moments ago, and neither of them were happy, nor surprised, with what they saw. There were about a dozen people that were sneaking their way into the cafeteria, each of them clad in some form of the maroon uniform Jake had seen before. Huntsclan, his grandfather had called them. They varied wildly in height and musculature, but they all seemed agile and capable. Some carried similar weapons to the ones Jake had seen before, and others had only their gloved fists. When the entourage noticed that they'd been spotted, they abandoned stealth and rolled into a defensive formation. Jake and the minotaur exchanged a glance, and Jake tried to offer it a dragon's version of a smile.

"Truce?" He offered.

_THU-MPH!_ Jake wheezed as the minotaur's beefy fist collided with what would have been a human's heart. The force of the blow sent him toppling backwards, and he slammed wings-first into the hard concrete wall. From there, Jake slid pitifully down, and slumped forward to catch his breath. From his spot at the far wall, he watched the bull engage with the Huntsclan goons. It bellowed its bovine challenge and rushed forward, horns bent to gore one of the first people. The monster was crazy strong, and surprisingly fast, but the Huntsclan were faster, and clearly trained. The troop rolled out of the way, and one of them, a slender woman with a long, blond braid trailing out from under her mask, fired a dart from some kind of wrist launcher. It whistled through the air and then sunk its tip deep into the rib-cage of the minotaur. It screamed a scream of pain, and lashed out in her direction. She nimbly dodged, but a few of her friends were not so lucky, and took the brunt of the blow, sending them flying back out of the hole they had crawled into.

The woman shouted orders that Jake couldn't hear over the roar of the minotaur, not to mention the ringing in his own ears. She pointed towards him, and a trio of Hunstclan broke off from the circle they had formed around the minotaur to advance on Jake. The Dragon blinked, and shook his head to clear some of the fuzz. With a grunt, he pulled himself to his feet, and fell forward on all fours, wings pulled back, in a threatening position. The three Huntsclan became wary, slowing their approach, but they did not stop. Two of them seemed unsure of how to proceed, but the third, a shorter, more muscular woman, charged forward with a shout. She swung a long metal pole-arm at Jake, which he caught with one scaled claw. Jake snorted.

_Click._ The Hunstclan pressed a button on the other end of the weapon, and Jake felt a mix of excruciating pain and the strangest tickling sensation he had ever felt. Blue energy flew off of the end of the pole-arm, and Jake quickly let go, rearing up to his full height and roaring before sucking in a deep breath. It seemed they knew what that meant, as when the wide cone of flame burst from Jake's mouth, the three Huntsclan tumbled back, avoiding being turned into crispy statues. Probably for the best. Jake took that into account; he didn't want to kill anyone.

Coming back down on all fours, Jake rushed one of the less confident Hunstclan goons, and took a small leap before performing a tail strike similar to the one he had seen his grandfather use on the strange creature in the unicorn field. The guy took the strike to the gut, and hit the wall, out for the count. The other two came in on either side of Jake. The girl reached in with her weapon, aiming for one of Jake's wings. With a writhing motion, the Dragon avoided the attack, and then struck her ally across the jaw with a thick, reptilian foot. She did a little spin on her way to the ground, unconscious. Jake winced.

"I should really pull my punches," he said. The remaining assailant widened her eyes, and then squinted.

"You talk?" She asked, in a raspy alto. She sounded surprisingly young, like a teenager. Jake, in a panic, cleared his throat and tried to put on a deeper, more heroic voice.

"Why are you guys after these creatures?" Jake asked, "and where is the Hunstman?"

Instead of responding, the Hunstclan member did a backwards flip, putting distance between the two of them. The other goons had backed up the minotaur closer to Jake, and now the ring began to wrap them both in. The minotaur still looked like it was not all the way there, but its instincts were forcing it to back away from certain doom. Several big guns began to charge in the back row of the Hunstclan formation. In the center of them stood the slender woman with the long braid. She crossed her arms, locking eyes with Jake as her forces approached him.

"Surrender, Dragon," she called out to him. Her voice was surprisingly pleasant, but it made Jake's stomach feel weird. Maybe that was because she was commanding a small army of ninja baddies to take him down.

"No way lady!" Jake called back. He had to think fast! There wasn't much at his disposal but… There! With all of his draconic strength, he sent a long cafeteria table flipping towards the front line of Hunstclan, using the distraction to zip through the air and tackle the minotaur. It roared and struggled, but Jake clamped onto the creature with his legs, and began to yank free the needles from its hide.

"Stop struggling, bro," Jake grunted, "this is for your own - _oof_ \- good!"

With one final tug, Jake pulled out the last dart, and held it up with a whoop of success. In the same moment, the minotaur sent him tumbling off of its back with a mighty shove. The huge beast shook its head, clamping its mighty human hands onto the sides of its face. Jake watched as the murk within its eyes faded away, and it blinked them to clearness. It looked to Jake with a docile expression, but when it registered once more the approaching Hunstclan, its ear twitched. Jake felt the rage emitting from the minotaur, and the young Dragon sneered.

"I feel you, homeburger," he said, "let's do it."

The woman in charge squinted suspiciously, and held up a hand for her troop to wait for orders. Jake and the minotaur, however, followed no such ceasefire, and with bestial cries of anger, the two of them bolted forward, shattering the line of Hunstclan in seconds. Chaos erupted in the cafeteria, as the goons swarmed around the two defiant giants. The minotaur, Jake realized, showed no reaction to the blue energy that the spears and blasters gave off, and Jake, for his part, saw a few of the flagged syringes bounce off of his heavy scales. Using this information, the two beasts began to work in tandem, Jake deflecting the volleys of tranquilizers and the minotaur dealing with the energy pikes.

"Get it?" Jake said, slapping a few Huntsclan away with his tail. "Like, homie, and hamburger."

"A Dragon with jokes," said a voice. Jake felt a sudden, familiar pain creep through his right wing, as the appendage drooped into a useless half-cape over his right shoulder. As it fell, it revealed the form of the braid-wearing woman. She stood in a martial arts stance, poised to react to whatever Jake came at her with. "You should go Hollywood."

"I've actually thought about it," Jake said, struggling to maintain his fake voice as he exerted himself, dashing forward to try and punch her with a scaled fist. She flung up both hands and caught the clumsy attack, using the motion to somersault up and onto Jake's back. From there, she delivered a pinpoint strike to the back of his neck. Jake felt nothing, and laughed as he spun like a crocodile to shake her off. "Nice try, Huntsgirl! Get it, like Hunstclan, and girl?"

The Huntsgirl bounced back swiftly from being repelled, and came forward with a flying kick, landing it square on the laughing snout of the Dragon. Tears rushed to Jake's eyes, and he stumbled back, sniffling and clawing at the end of his snout. Huntsgirl frowned, trying to figure out what had happened, and it was only when the smoke began to plume up from Jake's nostrils that she got it. He held it in for as long as he could, but eventually, with a mighty _Ah-chooo!_ Jake blasted a snot rocket of red hot fire at the crowd of Hunstclan. A few yelped in pain as they were singed, but most were clear of the attack. However, there was an unintended side effect.

A sudden, cold sensation shook Jake from his post-sneeze stun. The flame and smoke had triggered the sprinkler system, and water was beginning to dump down on everyone and everything in the cafeteria. Moments later, an ear-splitting fire alarm began to blast, shaking Jake to the core, and spooking the minotaur so much that it bolted out of the same hole it had came in through. A few of the Huntsclan immediately broke into chase, but a few of them remained. Some waited for the Huntsgirl, who still stood 15 feet away from Jake, eyes locked on him. Others were simply unconscious.

"This isn't over," she said. Then, her masked face became shrouded in blue and red light, and Jake picked out a police siren between blasts of the fire alarm. There was a sudden explosion of acrid white smoke, which made Jake cough and sputter. When he recovered, the Hunstclan were gone, save for those who could not move, and Jake could hear the First Responders closing in. He tested his wing, grimacing at the painful pins and needles, but happy that he could move it at all. He looked around at the unconscious Hunstclan, and decided that the authorities would deal with them. He limped himself into a run, and took off into the air, ignoring the pain.

Jake could feel his power waning. He heard the gasps of surprise from the onlookers below as he shot like a rocket from the rubble outside of the cafeteria, but he didn't have time to think about it. He had to get away, he had to hide, had to get somewhere safe. If the Hunstclan caught him as he was transforming back, he was toast. As he flew through alleys, he saw a sight that made his heart hurt. The minotaur had been caught, and was wrapped up in tight, thick cord. The Huntsclan were shoving it into the back of a van, similar to the one he had seen before. Jake cursed himself for not having the strength to do anything, but he knew that if he tried to do something about it now, they would just capture him too. He had to get out. He had to hide.

The overwhelming array of thoughts was too much, and Jake flew on autopilot. He knew of a place where he could be safe. He hid there all the time, and nobody else ever seemed to go there. As fast as his weakened wings could take him, he shot from alley to alley, until finally he came rocketing through the half-built walls of the abandoned water park, crashing into the bottom of the empty pool. As he skidded to a stop there, there was faint pulse of light, and he became Jake Long, American human, once more.

He lay there, his eyes closed, panting, for some time. Once his heart-rate began to return to normal, he patted himself down. Luckily, his backpack was in his locker at school, but he had lost his shoes in the transformation. This was a bad habit he had picked up, as, when training in his grandfather's apartment, he had not worn shoes, and so often forgot them when taking on the Dragon's form. With a groan, Jake sat up, and found, to his good fortune, that the water from the sprinklers had not transferred from one form to the other. His jacket, and more importantly his hair, were perfectly dry. Jake sat there at the bottom of the pool for a long time, pulling his knees up close to himself, and running through what had just happened in his mind over and over. He didn't rouse from his reverie until he was shaken by a loud _clapk!_ The bottoms of canvas shoes slapping with the force of a falling teenager onto the concrete bottom of the empty pool. Then, a second sound, somewhat lighter.

Jake looked up. Standing there, looking down at him with worried looks, were Trixie and Spud. As his eyes met theirs, Trixie looked away, as if she had just seen something she shouldn't. Spud looked like he wasn't sure what to say, scrunching up his eyebrows and looking somewhere between betrayed and bewildered. Jake's heart hurt. This was his worst nightmare. This wasn't how he wanted them to find out. He pulled himself to his feet, swaying a little as a wave of hunger, nausea, and fatigue washed over him. He clutched his ribs with one hand.

"Uh… Hey, guys," he said, "how much of that did you see?"


	7. A Long Family Dinner

**Author's Note:** _Hey, again! It's that time: another chapter of Jake Long. Thank you all so much for your continued support of the story! It makes me super happy to see the thoughts that my writing provokes, and I read each and every Comment with a smile on my face. Remember: Danger Watch is a shared story universe. Think of this book as the Iron Man in a new series of stories. Don't be afraid to theorize/speculate!_

_The fight for goodness hasn't ended, even though things aren't trending right now. If you support me, my story, and my voice, then know that I am a Black person in America, and please do what you can to help us in our fight for justice. Thank you. Enjoy._

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**Chapter 7: A Long Family Dinner**

"Ok, so, there are are a couple things you need to know," Jake said.

"No shit, Jake, it seems like there's a _lot_ of things we need to know," Trixie said.

"I mean about my family," Jake continued. "Jonathon has _no_ idea, so when he's in the room, we don't talk about you-know-what."

"Actually, I don't know what. Enlighten us!" Trixie said exasperatedly.

After the sprinklers were set off in the cafeteria, the student body had been dismissed home due to the emergency. Most kids piled onto school buses to flee the scene, or else had their parents or guardians come as soon as they could. As for Trixie and Spud, they had spent a while looking for Jake, to no avail. They were worried, especially because the police wouldn't let them get in to see if he was alright, just repeatedly telling them it was "a crime scene" and "no place for kids." After a while they gave up, and went to see if perhaps he had went to the water park. They were there for maybe 30 seconds before Jake came plummeting down to the pool in full Dragon mode. They hadn't talked much, just making sure one another was alright. 

The three of them had then made their way to the subway, and were now riding it in an uncomfortable cloud of traumatic exhaustion. Trixie and Spud sat on one side of the aisle, and Jake sat on the other. Aside from a couple of young women wearing hijabs and jamming to headphones, they were alone. Jake looked nervously over to them when Trixie raised her voice, but they were too vibed out to notice. The young Dragon sighed.

"I'm what's called… the Dragon," Jake said, "I mean, I will be, once I'm finished with Dragon Training."

"So your 'private tutoring' was actually…" Trixie started.

"Lessons on how to control the Dragon's form with my grandpa," Jake said with a nod. Trixie raised her eyebrows, and Spud continued to scroll on his smartphone. He was listening to the conversation, but something had captured his attention prior to them getting on the subway, and he had been focused on it ever since, chiming in only rarely with a murmured comment. This was commonplace for Spud.

"That's sick," Spud muttered, having just such a moment. "So he teaches you like, Dragon Jujitsu?"

"It's more than that," Jake said, looking down at his hands. "The Dragon has this duty to uphold. I don't get to just be _a_ Dragon. I have to become _the Dragon,_ and apparently, that means I'm in charge of the balance between humanity and magical creatures, which is… way heavy."

"Magical creatures. Like, unicorns and goblins and junk?" Trixie chimed in. Jake nodded. "No way. Really?"

"I literally saw both of those things last weekend," Jake said, more glum than one might expect from a kid confirming the existence of monsters. Trixie shook her head. She was a logical girl, but she had just seen a 9 foot long red torpedo lizard transform into her best friend before her very eyes, and before that, a half man half bull monster had broken into the school cafeteria. Needless to say, she was having a hard time being a logical girl.

"So, if you're the guy in charge of all of the magical monsters, what was up with the minotaur?" Trixie asked.

"Not in charge, Its- It's honestly more like watching over a group of strangers' kids and making sure they don't get into 's a lot more intersection with the magical community than you realize, its just people like me and my grandpa are really good at hiding it," Jake said.

"'Cuz of the magic," Trixie said. "Yeah, that tracks."

"The thing is, I've never seen anything this big act out in broad daylight like that. I have no idea how my gramps will react," Jake said. "On top of that, now I have to somehow explain to him and my mom how you guys found out, without Jonathon knowing."

Jake sighed and rubbed his face. This was going to be a long, long night. They rode the subway in relative silence the rest of the way, until they got off near Chinatown, and began to walk the rest of the way to Jake's apartment. Jake had called his mom using Spud's phone to tell her what had happened, and she had told him to bring the two of them over for dinner. They had tried to refrain from saying anything sensitive; they didn't know who could be listening in over the phone, and the last thing they wanted was sensitive information leaked to some Huntsclan hacker. Judging by the tone of Susan's voice, she wasn't happy with the situation.

Jake paused once the three of them were standing outside of his apartment door. He turned to face the other two, looking quite serious. Trixie and Spud exchanged a glance, and then turned back to Jake, who pinched the bridge of his nose before he spoke.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys sooner," he said, "but please. Be cool. Ok?"

"Sure, bro," Spud said.

"Always," Trixie added. Jake let out a breath.

"Ok," he said. "Here goes…"

Jake opened the door. The three young teens were met with a rush of delicious smells. Simmering vegetables, frying meats, and cooking rice, all swarmed with a variety of fragrant, appetizing spices. All of their mouths salivated, and they each realized that they had hardly gotten to eat their lunches before the minotaur crashed the scene. Spud's stomach even growled loudly.

"Hey, mom," Jake said cautiously. "we're home."

"Go ahead and take a seat at the table, kids!" Susan said, her voice coming from the kitchen. The trio proceeded to the dining room, where the table was set for 7. Already seated were Haley, Jake's little sister, as well as his grandfather. Both smiled as the newcomers came to sit across from them at the table, leaving two spaces side by side for Susan and her fiance.

"Ah, hello, Jake!" Luong said. "I believe this is the first time that I have met your friends. Greetings. I am Luong Lao Shi."

Spud and Trixie introduced themselves to Luong. Susan and Haley knew both of them, as they and Jake had been friends or many years, but Luong was mostly focused on his duties as the Dragon, and his instruction of his successor, and often missed things like the friends of his family members. Haley kept her eyes locked on her little brother, a little glint of mirth hiding in her dark eyes. Jake grimaced. That was never good.

"So, Jake," Susan said, coming into the dining room to lay down some things in preparation for the meal; chopsticks, plates, and napkins. She looked to her son. "Grandpa and I were just watching the news."

Jake groaned.

"Apparently," Luong said, "people are reporting seeing two large animals loose at the school. One of them is big, with head like cow, and the other they are saying was some kind of large, winged lizard."

"But that's crazy talk, right Jake?" Haley said, letting a sinister smirk creep across her face as she directed the question to her older brother. Jake glared at her, and then turned his attention to his mom and grandfather. Luong's expression did nothing to reveal his feelings, but Susan's displeasure read loud and clear to everyone. She placed a hand on her hip and waited for Jake to answer his sister's question.

"Look, guys, they know, ok? Can we skip the psychological torment and get to the part where you tell me what to do about this?" Jake pleaded.

Susan glanced nervously at their new guests, but sighed, acknowledging that they were past the point of secrecy. She sat down at the table, placed her hands on her lap, and took a deep breath. She looked to Spud and Trixie seriously.

"Nothing we say leaves this room. Am I understood? Nobody can know. Not your parents, not your classmates, not your boyfriends-"

"Hey, family!" A voice called out, bursting into the front door of the apartment. There was the sound of jangling keys beyond the kitchen, and shuffling that could only be Jonathon taking off his shoes. "Oh, wow, Susan, it smells incredible in here!"

"And _especially_ not him," Susan said, rubbing her temples as her fiance enter the room.

Jonathan was an average looking man, with average brown hair and a well-kept look about him. He were slightly smudged glasses, and was dressed in a suit and tie. He entered the room with a wide, white toothed smile, his arms spread wide. Dangling from one of his hands was a plastic bag, inside of which were contents unknown.

"Hey, Luong! Good to see you," He said, "no Fu Dog today?"

"Fu Dog was indisposed," Luong said. "It seemed that his nap outweighed an old man's promise of table scraps."

"Dogs, amiright?" Jonathan said with a hearty chuckle. He then turned to Trixie, Spud, and Jake. "Oh, and hey kids! Gosh, I feel like we haven't had Trixandra and Spudzilla over for dinner in… years!"

"That's because you call them things like Trixandra and Spudzilla, Daddy," Haley said from across the table. Jonathan went over to ruffle his daughters hair, and gave her a big kiss on the top of her head before placing his package on the table.

"What, no way," he said jokingly, "they love my nicknames. Anyhow, your mother told me to grab some soda, so I did."

Trixie and Spud looked to Jake helplessly, and he had nothing to offer them but an apologetic shrug. The party dished up their plates to eat, and after everybody thanked Susan for her hard work and excellent cooking, they dug in. The food was delicious and simple, and everyone had enough to fill them to their content.

"So, did anything interesting happen at school today?" Jonathan asked at one point. Trixie had nearly choked on a mouthful of soda, and Spud stopped mid-slurp of a noodle, his eyes going bug-wide as he looked to Jake for leadership. Jake was slumped forward, toying miserably with his food with a fork at this point.

"There was a fire drill," Jake said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"Oh, and I think some zoo animals got out, cuz there was this really big cow running around too," Spud said, trying to be helpful. There was _thump_ as Trixie stomped on his foot. " _Ow._ "

"Zoo animals?" Jonathan said. "Wow. Back in my middle school days, the best we did was go see the animals in the zoo, not the other way around!"

Everyone laughed at the joke, trying not to show their nervousness, and Jonathan seemed content that his joke landed, going back to enjoying his meal. They meal went on mostly quiet, interrupted only by the sounds of eating and the occasional joke or question from Jonathan. Eventually everyone was sitting with emptied plates, and they began to task of clearing them and preparing for dessert.

As he was rinsing off his plate, Jake met his grandfather's eye, and the two of them walked slowly into the living room, per Luong's subtle direction. Jonathan continued to ham it up behind them, trying to make a humorous impression on Trixie and Spud. Like Jonathan had said, they had not been over for dinner at the Long residence in many years, and it was oddly nostalgic experience that was turned sour by the strangeness of the days earlier events. Once they were out of earshot, Luong turned to face Jake.

"Tell me what happened, Grandson," he said. Jake told him the story of his fight with the minotaur, his encounter with the Huntsgirl and her crew, and about the police and other onlookers arriving at the end. As Jake got to the part about the Huntsclan capturing the minotaur, he broke up a little, and looked at the floor in shame. As the boy spoke, Luong nodded pensively, and at the end of his student's tale, the mentor sighed a deep sigh.

"I am glad that you fought to protect the creature," Luong said. "I am very disappointed that you allowed yourself to be seen. However, my pride in your efforts far outweighs my displeasure. You fought with honor, for the sake of that beast. I promise you, it will not have been in vain."

"When are you gonna help me, gramps? I just got my butt busted trying to fight, like, 10 Huntsguys _and_ a freaking minotaur at school today. I don't even know how to use the Dragon form yet!"

"Lower your voice, Jake."

"If you came, you could take these punks on all by yourself! What's stopping you? Why are you making _me_ do it?"

" _Lower_ your voice, young one," Luong repeated, in a quiet, steely tone. The fire raged deep in Jake's eyes, Luong could see it. He met his pupil's fire with his own steady gaze, and slowly, Jake regained some composure. The fire never died, however, only reduced itself to embers. "I understand your frustration. Defeat is hard to overcome, but if you surmount it, you will become far stronger than you were before. Do not give in to your anger and your guilt. They will do nothing but hinder you. Channel your focus, learn from your defeat, and you will prevail."

Jake felt his anger slowly dissolve, soothed and washed away by the wisdom of Luong's words. Their truth was hard to swallow, but Jake forced himself to. He knew not to underestimate the knowledge of his master, for he had proven it time and time again. Luong gave Jake a nod and a squeeze on the shoulder has his grandson's breathing became regular, and from behind them, Susan peaked her head from around the corner.

"Hey," she said. "I sent Jonathon to the corner store to pick up ice cream. We have like 5 minutes to talk shop."

"Bless you, _nu'er_ ," Luong said. The trio filed back into the dining room, and sat down once again with Trixie and Spud.

"So, are we like Harry and MJ?" Spud asked.

"Who?" Susan said.

"Spider-Man's best friends," Trixie said, "and yeah, that's pretty accurate. Except, only if Rose is Gwen Stacy."

"The Dragon's secret is something very precious," Luong said. The gravity of the old man's voice forced Trixie and Spud to pay attention. "Jake has entrusted it to you. You must not let him down, or else the darker forces of his world, our world, could gain a dangerous upper hand. Can he trust you?"

Both of nodded them seriously.

"You can count on us, Mister Grandpa Dragon Sir," Spud said.

"Not a word, Mister Luong," Trixie confirmed. Luong seemed satisfied with their oaths, and began to gather himself up to return to his apartment.

"Hmph. Very well then. Grandpa must return to his home; must feed talking dog and begin work on new potion," he hugged his grandchildren, and give Susan a loving kiss on the cheek. "Jake. Tomorrow, I imagine school will be cancelled. If you are not there, I would like to see you with me. We shall see what we can do about our 'escaped zoo animals'."

"Alright!" Jake said, pumping his fist into the air as the door closed behind his mentor. "Finally! I can't wait to see the look on that Huntsgirls face when the Mac Daddy Thundercloud Dragon King pulls up! Gramps is gonna be like _wa-cha!_ And they're gonna be like _ahh oh no he's shooting lighting out of his nose ah run oh no!_ "

When Jonathon came back, Susan breezily covered for Luong's disappearance, and the remaining dinner party enjoyed their vanilla bean ice cream in companionable silence. At one point, the three teens made eye contact. Maybe it was the adrenaline of secret keeping, the afterburning rush of the minotaur attack, or the sugar high, but Jake, Spud, and Trixie all burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Susan raised her eyebrows, Haley's seemed thoroughly confused, and Jonathon tried to laugh along, as if they were sharing a joke he wanted to be in on, but wasn't. Eventually, the laughter subsided, and nobody said a word about it.

Eventually, Haley let out a big yawn; it was her way of signalling to everyone that the gathering was drawing to its natural end. Trixie and Spud bid goodnight to the Long family, who returned the goodbye warmly, and Jake decided to walk his friends down the street to the subway station. The sun was just about to set, and the street lights were starting to turn on. The three friends walked together, arms linked, until they got there. Once they did, the trio stood in a circle. It was Spud who spoke first.

"Hey, man," he said, patting Jake on the side of the arm. "Thank you for letting us know."

"He didn't really have a choice," Trixie said, squinting her eyes, "we kinda, like, caught him in the act."

"Yeah, but he was honest with us," Spud said, "and that counts for something."

"Thanks, buddy," Jake said. Spud, not knowing what else to say, gave him peace signs. As the subway lights rounded the corner, the the metal screech of its breaks rang out, Trixie quickly gave Jake a tight hug.

"Hey," she said, "thanks for keeping the unicorns safe."

And with that, they boarded the train, and left.


	8. Fu's Clues

**Author's Note:** _Hey again! Welcome back to another (late night) installment of Jake Long! Thanks for giving us a read, and if you like the story and want to keep up with the Danger Watch universe, be sure to give us a Bookmark or Kudos! Now enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

**Chapter 8: Fu's Clues**

"Alright, grandpa, what's the plan?" Jake asked. "Are we gonna Dragon up and whoop some Huntsclan butt together?"

As his grandfather had predicted, Jake had gotten the day off from school while they fixed the cafeteria wall. The pair were gathered in Luong's apartment, and the elder Dragon was rummaging around inside of a closet for something. Fu Dog sat patiently nearby.

"No," Luong said. "I will not be coming with."

"What?" Jake said, disappointed. "You said you were gonna help me take these guys down!"

"I am," Luong said, turning around with his hands behind his back and approaching his student. "Your Dragon's form has been revealed. Not only your enemies, but also the people of New York will be looking for it now. If you just fly around like big red blimp, people are sure to come for you. Think, young one!"

Luong pulled his arm from behind his back and showed Jake what he was holding. A small leather collar, notched with tiny metal spikes. In his other hand, a long leash, as well as a doggy jacket. The jacket has a little holster on the side that held a small, pink potion bottle. There was a faint thumping sound as Fu Dog's tail wagged excitedly. He continued to stare patiently.

"Today, you will walk Fu Dog," Luong said. The tail wagging increased.

"No way!" Jake complained. "All Fu's gonna do is slow me down."

"Your pride is your downfall, young Dragon!" Luong said, shaking his head. "You would be wise to remember that there is always more to learn, and you will find that Fu Dog is a worthy and faithful companion, with many skills. He will be a great asset on your quest to find the Huntsclan lair."

Luong groaned and bent down to clip on the Sharpei's collar, jacket and leash, and Fu's tongue stuck out with subtle glee. Then, the old man stood, and offered the end of the leash to Jake, who took it. The teen seemed glum, his hopes of charging into glorious battle side by side as Dragons snuffed by the dreary reality of dog-walking. Luong sighed.

"Jake. As the Dragon, you are a mediator first. Remember that you do not seek conflict, and it is only in the defense of others, or as a last resort, that you should fight. Never use the Dragon powers for vengeance. If you do…" The old man trailed off, as if overcome by a memory.

"What happens?" Jake asked, suddenly chilled though the temperature had not changed. Luong shook his head.

"I have seen it before. It is a path you must not cross," he said simply. The old Dragon walked over to light some incense, and then brought himself to a sitting position on the floor, bringing his hands together into a meditative gesture. He sighed once. "Be safe, young Dragon. Listen, learn of your enemy, and where they hide. Most of all, be vigilant. I fear you will find the fight you are looking for."

By then Fu Dog was pulling gently on the leash.

"C'mon kid, let's move it," the dog said, "I gotta stretch my legs. Feel's like I've been crammed in this apartment forever."

The odd pair left the apartment building at a casual pace, Fu Dog eager and Jake much less so. He stuck the hand not holding the leash in his pocket, and for the first few minutes there was silence. It was still early in the morning, and people were just starting to get to their daily routine. A few of the locals waved to Jake as he walked the block, and he nodded his head up to them. Wang Fu smiled at him, and winked at Fu Dog, which Jake would have found suspicious if he wasn't still stewing. He would have found it even more suspicious, had he been paying attention, when Fu Dog winked back.

"Alright, Jakey boy, if you were an evil monster hunter, where would you shack up?" Fu Dog asked, once they were walking down the sidewalk alone. It was a warmer day, and Jake decided it would be best to walk outside, and avoid being in a cramped subway with a magical dog.

"I don't know, like, a secret underwater base?" Jake suggested moodily.

"What, you wanna dive in the Hudson?" Fu asked.

"I mean, not really."

"Then neither do the Huntsclan. What else you got?"

"Uh, I don't know," Jake sighed as a bunch of girls a bit older than him crossed the street beside him. A few of them pointed at his dog and then at him, and they all laughed as they walked past. They smelled good. "Maybe they know."

"Eyes on the prize lover boy," Fu Dog said, "don't you got the hots for that Rosie girl at school?"

"Yeah, I do," Jake said. Even Fu had heard about Rose. Jake suddenly remembered that he still had to try and ask her to the dance again soon. He sighed once more. The sooner he could deal with this Huntsclan problem the better. His normal teen life was hard enough, and Dragon duty getting quadruple difficult was taking its toll on Jake. Underneath his stubborn determination and pissy attitude was a tired 13 year old kid with a lot of responsibility on his shoulders.

Jake and Fu Dog continued to walk, the latter of the pair basking in the midday sun. Before Jake knew it, they had cleared some serious distance, to the point where he began to dread the walk back. At one point, a burst of movement caught Fu Dog's eye. He darted after it, tugging Jake's sleight frame along with him as he bolted, barking, after a grey squirrel. Eventually, the young Dragon managed to get the musclebound little dog under control, but Fu was quite upset over not being able to catch the critter due to Jake "slowing him down." During another point, Fu Dog decided to stop and pee on every fire hydrant they passed by for 5 blocks. After the 6th hydrant, he admitted to not even peeing anymore, but just doing it to get a rise out of Jake. It had worked.

"Hey, what about an arcade?" Fu Dog suggested as they crossed a bridge and made it into a more commercial area. "Do kids still go to arcades?"

"No," Jake said, "unless they're at a water park or a bowling alley. Besides, why does it matter what kids like?"

"Well, in your story, it sounded like a lot of these Huntsclan recruits were younger people. Probably just cannon fodder they can quickly train to fill their ranks alongside the actual tough guys. It's a classic tactic, the youth are easy to radicalize if they feel like they fit in. If we find a place where the kids are gatherin', we'll be doin' the same work as the other guys. You seein' what I'm sayin' here?"

"So we go there, find the people looking for kids to join, and then infiltrate?" Jake inferred.

"You're catchin' on kid," Fu Dog said, "alright, now let's go behind that building and you feed me this potion the old man strapped to me."

Jake and Fu took a hard right and ducked into an alley lined with the smelliest dumpsters Jake had ever smelled. Fu even wrinkled up his face further than its natural state, his nostrils flaring as he tried to comprehend the odor. Jake plugged his nose with his fingers, and knelt down to pull out the potion with his free hand.

"What does it do?" Jake asked, swirling around the little vial of pink liquid.

"Oh, you'll see. Bottom's up kid, come on, hit me!" The dog said, pacing back and forth at Jake's feet. Jake looked once from the vial to Fu Dog, and then shrugged, unstopping it and reaching down to let the contents pour into the Sharpei's flopping jowls. With an absurd amount of tongue smacking, the wrinkly grey dog swallowed every drop of the potion, and then his whole body shook with a mighty shiver. "Oh, yeah! That's the stuff."

As Jake watched, Fu's skin seemed to bubble like thick paste, little pockets of air forming beneath it and creating strange, expanded patches of skin and fur. The dog's legs became wobbly and he began to made weird retching noises, which made Jake super uncomfortable. Then, with a horrible slurping nose, Fu Dog's tail shot back up into his spine.

" _Yowza!_ " Fu Dog exclaimed, scampering forward and then up onto his two back legs, which were mutating and becoming oddly muscly. He reached back to grab his furry hindquarters with hands that were now mostly human, save some odd patches of grey fur. "I forgot how weird this feels. Hang onto your haircut kid, it gets worse."

Jake held down his bile as the transformation continued, with each vivid moment of metamorphosis as jarring as the next. The process must have lasted a minute at most, but to Jake the amount of time felt immeasurable. When Fu's body stopped convulsing and contorting, standing before Jake was a human teen, a little taller than Jake, who looked something like him, Spud, and Trixie at the same time. He was a handsome, tan-skinned boy with dark hair slicked back, and a keen look in his eyes. Luckily for Jake, Fu was wearing clothes, which included a pair of fitted jeans and a sport coat. Fu did a little turnaround, and held his arms out wide.

"Eh? Waddya think, kid?" Fu said, his normal voice coming out of this kid's mouth. Jake blinked. He still hadn't processed the body horror he had just bore witness to. It was not every day you saw a Sharpei transform into a teenager in an alleyway behind a curbside Subway. "Alright, alright, quit starin'. Let's go catch some Huntsclan."

Fu Human strode confidently out from behind the alleyway, and Jake quickly tailed him. Both of them stuck their hands in their pockets, and Fu looked over to Jake and tried to mirror his gate. The effort came out stiff and under-practiced. He looked like he had some kind of gimp leg.

"Fu?"

"Huh?"

"Why you walkin' like that, man?"

"I just ain't used to it, yet, ok? I got shit where it ain't supposed to be," Fu said, reaching one arm up and stretching awkwardly. "Think of it like you and the Dragon."

"Woah, hey, 12 o'clock!"

"Ok, so kids still say '12 o'clock' but they don't go to arcades? What even-"

"I know those girls, they go to my school!" Jake whispered, jutting his chin towards a small cloud of teenage girls who were piling into a local indie coffee shop called Ginkgo's. There were 5 girls total. All of them were part of Rose's clique, and the one that Jake recognized most was Valerie Grey, Rose's best friend. Jake's heart began to pump. What if Rose was there?

"Oh, perfect," Fu said, walking towards the coffee shop "this looks like just the kinda place we're lookin' for."

"Uh, do you really think this is a good idea? Won't we look like creeps following them in?"

"No, doofus, cuz we ain't following them. We're just here for coffee," Fu sighed. "Don't know how well that's gonna sell though. How old are you, kid, like 12? What're girls in your grade doing at a coffee shop anyway?"

Fu Human made a good point. The duo entered the shop, and as they did they uncomfortably noticed that all of the girls had vanished, and they were met with uncanny quiet inside of the wood-floored shop. It was a nice place, rustic and charming. Pieces of local art made the place feel like it had an air of community, and a thick, rich aroma of coffee made Fu Human's mouth water. He took a deep inhale and sighed happily. Jake looked around the shop suspiciously. There were no teenage girls; only the barista, who was a middle aged white man, and an old woman who was hunched over an ancient looking laptop, squinting at a Google document. Jake felt a shiver run down his spine as the barista finished cleaning something and then began to side eye him and Fu. Luckily, Fu Human took the initiative.

"Hey, pal," the polymorphed dog said, strutting up to the counter and leaning on it. "We're with the girls that just came through. Could you point us in the way they went?"

"Girls?" The barista, whose name tag read Chuck, said. Jake could tell he was feigning ignorance, and decided to tag in before they lost their window.

"Uh, yeah! We're a little late, but Valerie told us to meet them here," he said, rubbing the back of his neck and slinging his arm around Fu Human's shoulders. "You know. For the thing."

The barista glanced once to the old woman, before his eyes darted back to Jake and Fu. He looked over his shoulder, and then reached down under the desk and produced an old, silver key attacked to small maroon key-chain. There wasn't much to it, but one detail stood out to Jake like a red flag: the blade-like symbol of the Huntsclan. Jake's heart founds its way into his throat as the barista placed the key on the counter before them, and met the young Dragon's gaze.

"That door down the stairs," the barista said quietly, "leave the key in the slot."

Fu didn't hesitate, swiping the little object from the man and walking quickly towards the target door, Jake hot on his heels. Once they were at the end of the staircase, Fu Human inserted the key, and turned to Jake. The young Dragon seemed to be fuming.

"Look at that, kid, gold mine!" Fu Human said.

"I knew it," Jake said, "Valerie's crooked. Do you think she knows? Maybe that's why she hates me."

"Don't psych yourself out. Stay focused. One problem at a time. We got a key to the door, now its time to do the dirt digging," Fu said.

Jake nodded, and on a silent count of three, Fu turned the key, pushed the door open, and the pair strode into the dimly lit hall beyond. The hallway was just wide enough for an adult man to walk in, and a particularly wide man might have trouble. However, to two slender teens, it was no problem. It was hard to see, especially when the heavy old door slammed shut behind them. There was one lonely, orange light at the end of the concrete hallway they now walked down. The temperature dropped significantly. Jake ran a hand a long the walls, which were also concrete, and found them quite cool to the touch. The further they walked, the more apparent the dull sound of music became. As they came up on the lamp, the two of them instinctively slowed down. The hall took a single right, and led into their destination, and the source of the music.

The Huntsclan base looked surprisingly like a recreational center. It was mostly one wide open space, but in one corner there was a half-pipe, where Jake caught sight of a few older teens doing tricks. The sound of pop music blasted itself into Jake and Fu's ears, and Jake spotted several large speakers scattered around the room. The floor had been tagged and graffiti'd with paint, chalk, and all other kinds of mediums, and everything from punching bags to Mortal Kombat arcade boxes to couches could be found throughout the rest of the space. Jake panned across the room, taking note of the large amount of people there. There were some adults, some kids his age, and a lot of older teens, but none of them caught Jake's attention more than a certain girl. Jake would have known her bright blond hair anywhere.

"Rose?" Jake called out.


	9. Rose Colored Glass

**Author's Note:** _Hey! Welcome back to another chapter! We're getting closer and closer to wrapping things up with Jake's first adventure! This chapter, Jake and Rose get a little closer than they might have expected, and Fu Dog gets himself into some trouble. Let me know what you think of the story in the Comments: I'd love to know what you think! Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 9: Rose Colored Glass**

"Jake?" Rose asked, her head snapping towards the two young men. Her eye lingered for just a moment on Fu, who she didn't recognize, but it passed quickly and she walk-ran up to Jake with all the urgency a 13 year old girl could muster She leaned in close. "O.M.G. What are you doing here?"

"Wh-what am _I_ -? What are _you_ doing here?" Jake stuttered. Rose grabbed Jake's wrist, which made his heart flutter, and pulled him behind a a set of bleachers that were posted around what appeared to be some kind of martial arts ring. Fu glanced around, looking lost, before a group of older teens started making their way towards him. The polymorphed dog tried to look over for Jake, but couldn't find him. He gulped.

"What's the deal?" Jake asked as soon as he and Rose were alone. She was craning her neck around, making sure nobody had taken an interest in them.

"Who's the other kid?" She asked.

"Oh, uh, that's… my cousin, Fu," Jake fumbled. "We came together."

"You just _came_? Nobody invited you or anything?" Rose asked. Jake bit his lip. He wasn't sure how much he wanted to tell Rose, but she looked at him with those big eyes and that perfect mix of confusion and concern, and he felt like he could trust her. At least a little bit. His grandfather had tried to teach him to place his trust in others who deserved it, after all. He couldn't do everything by himself, and he couldn't think of anybody who deserved it more than Rose.

"Well, we were walking around and we saw Valerie and a bunch of other girls from your group go in to the coffee shop," Jake said. "We followed them, cuz we thought ay, maybe it was a chill spot, ya know? Then there was this creepy key, and this mega weird tunnel, and now, we're here."

"Woah, hang on," Rose said, suddenly getting very close to Jake and grabbing his hand in hers. He gulped. Rose was just a nose taller than Jake, and when she looked down at him he felt his heart skip a beat. "That's so weird… I followed Valerie into the coffee shop too. And then she wasn't there. Only the barista-"

"-and the old lady with the laptop," Jake and Rose said in unison. Jake's heart soared.

"Valerie has been acting super odd lately," Rose said, looking side to side. "She's always trying to get me to go to these indie places with her weird friends… I thought this would be like that, but I'm starting to think maybe its something worse."

"Rose, listen to me," Jake said, "we need to get you out of here. I think Valerie is trying to recruit you."

"Recruit me? Recruit me for what?" Rose said. He tried to pull her by the hand back to the exit, but she resisted. "Jake!"

"This place, Rose, it's some kind of recruitment center. They're trying to radicalize young people to join up with their group," Jake said. "They're called the Huntsclan, and they're really dangerous. Kidnapping and assault type dangerous. So you gotta dip out, like, now!"

"Huntsclan?" Rose said, still resisting Jake's attempts to pull her. "No... None of them have suspected me yet. If I can find out why Valerie joined, maybe I can figure out how to her get out."

"I don't think that's a good-"

"Please, Jake, she's my best friend. You have to let me help her if I can," Rose said. She met Jake's eyes, and in hers there was a strange sort of challenging fire. Jake's heart was doing backflips. That blaze just made her even more amazing in his eyes, and he was lucky he kept his jaw shut. After his wave of infatuation passed, Jake focused back on the task at hand.

"Ok, fine, you can help out," he said, feigning reluctance. He looked back to where Fu had been waiting, and found him no longer there. "Oh, great."

"What's wrong?" Rose asked. "Where'd your cousin go?"

"That's exactly what I want to know," Jake muttered, mostly to himself.

The young Dragon led the way, holding on tightly to Rose's hand. His palm was a little sweaty, and he winced in embarrassment, but the situation was far too urgent for him to let her go. If anything happened to Rose… He couldn't even think about what he might do. As the two of them walked, they made boring small talk so that they didn't seem suspicious: Rose's idea. Apparently, her parents were lawyers, and they were overprotective, and that's why her schedule was so tight, and she ate alone, and was dropped off by a fancy car. It all made sense. It also explained why Rose was able to point out that a lot of the adults in the room were wanted felons.

"Woah, wait, hold up," Jake said, turning around to face Rose in front of a bright, flashing arcade box. "No joke? Like, escaped convicts? Like the movies?"

"Heh, I guess you could put it that way," Rose said, laughing nervously and pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. "My whole life has kinda felt like a movie… and not in a good way."

"I know what you mean," Jake said. There was a moment, there in the glare of the arcade machine, in the poorly lit hideout, where the two teens met each other's eye, and something like a connection formed. It was faint, but real, and both of them felt it. It was breathtaking. Jake swallowed with a dry throat. Rose blinked once. Jake knew he had to seize the moment. "Hey, um, I was wondering-"

"Aw, you two look too cute!" Came a voice from behind that neither of them recognized. A huge woman with caramel skin and a muscle top that showed off her ridiculous biceps came up and put her cocoa buttered arms around both of the kid's showed her hand to Jake, and in it was a couple of silver coins. "Here you go, honey. Play one on me. Welcome to the Hunt."

The large woman gave Rose a wink before patting Jake on the shoulder and leaving them in a cloud of her coconut scented perfume. Jake looked down at the pair of quarters he now held, and then over to Rose, who was a little pink across her cheeks. Jake rubbed the back of his neck, and smiled sheepishly at her.

"Uh… wanna give it a shot?" He asked. Rose raised an eyebrow, and looked over at the video game. She popped out one hip, and crossed her arms with a sly smile.

"You're on. It'll take some heat off of us if we look casual," she said, as the two of them approached the big, flashing box. Jake plugged in the two coins. "I betcha I kick your butt."

"'Take some heat off of us'? What are we, Bonny and Clyde?" Jake joked. Rose snorted a laugh."And there's no way you're beating me. I'm a Mortal Kombat master. "I've beaten every kid at the laundromat since I was 9."

"Really? You play M.K.?"

"Of course! Do you?": Jake said.

Rose pressed a button and looked away with a guilty smile. There was a burst of music, and a tinny announcer voice shouted " _Liu Kang!"_.

"No way!"

"Only a little, when I was young, with my Dad," Rose admitted.

"Don't sound so guilty," Jake said, his eyes sparkling. "That's straight up dope!"

"Yeah, yeah, shut up and pick your guy," Rose said, but she couldn't hide her smile. It looked genuine, and Jake had never loved a smile more. He chose his character (the announcer gave an enthusiastic " _Johnny Cage!"_ ) and the two of them began to duke it out in vicarious pixelated battle.

* * *

"Full house! Sorry fellas, better luck next time," Fu Dog said, laying down his stack of cards.

The table full of older high schoolers groaned, and a few of them slammed down their hands in frustration as the lanky young newcomer once again scooped the pool towards himself. Fu Human, with his centuries of knowledge, had been destroying these youngsters at the game. By this point he had accumulated 50 dollars, two watches, a Huntsclan badge, a bag of polyhedral dice, and a pack of cigarettes. The polymorphed dog chuckled as he organized his winnings.

"Ya know what, this is a good thing for you, kid. You're too young for these," he said, waggling the package of cigarettes at the boy who had bet them.

The boy gave Fu the middle finger, and Fu grinned and gave it right back. He sifted through the dollar bills, and so focused was he on counting the money that he didn't notice the new player at the table until he spoke.

"I have not seen you around the Huntsden before," he said, in an even baritone. Fu looked up from his money, and took in the stranger. He was broad shouldered, dark haired, and clad in maroon karate _gi._ He wore a similar colored headband, emblazoned with the Huntclan crest, on his forehead. The man had dark, piercing eyes that did not waver as he continued to speak. "What is your name, newcomer?"

The people at the table were all just as star struck as Fu, but they began to chip in their part for the next pot. The dark haired man stared directly as Fu as he placed his contribution: a folded up piece of paper. Fu gulped. He had gotten himself into a pretty bad situation. He cursed himself. It was rare that Fu Dog left his master's side, but when he did, he always went too far. This time was no exception. He looked at his spoils and contemplated making a run for it, but the lingering, predatory gaze of the dark haired man had him paralyzed. In this weak form, the only thing he could do for now was try not to get killed.

"Uh, yo yo, bruh," Fu Human said, trying to use some buzzwords he had heard Jake use. "The name's Fu Dawg. What about you… dawg?"

Fu gave the man a peace sign, but he got no such sort of sign of greeting in return. Instead, the man in the headband continued to stare. The dealer glanced to the man, who gave him an ever-so-subtle nod, at which the dealer immediately began to hand out a new round of cards, and the game began anew. A bullet of sweat dripped down Fu's face. This was not good. He only had about 45 minutes of time left as a human, not to mention he had no idea where Jake had gone. Now, he was surrounded by the people who hunt things like him. Not exactly his idea of a great walk.

As the game went on, the threatening man showed to be incredibly at it, playing bad hands and overall seeming to have little to no interest at all in succeeding. After a few hands, it was clear that, like so many rounds before, Fu Human was going to win again. The sickening part, to Fu, was that it seemed the Huntsclan goon _wanted_ him to win. Whatever the case, Fu did win, and as he pulled in the pot once more, the man leaned forward to watch more closely. With trembling, human fingers, Fu open the folded piece of paper. Inside, the note was written in English.

The note read: _You are not what you seem to be._

8 words that stopped Fu's heart. 8 words that made Fu's legs turn to jelly. 8 words that made Fu want to run, to hide, to grab his young companion and get as far away form here as possible. However, that wasn't an option. In that moment, Fu was powerless. He was a simple human child, and beyond that, a smaller than average dog. There was only one thing, just one thing that might save him. It just so happened to be something he had been relying on that entire afternoon. His poker face.

"Huh?" Fu said, scrunching up his face in mock confusion. "What's this supposed to mean, man?"

The man didn't even flinch.

"What do you know about the Boiling Isles, Fu?" He said. "Or the Charms of Bezel?"

"What's that, Lord of the Rings? Come on, dude, if you're just gonna suck, leave the table," Fu continued to bluster, hoping that if he showed enough youthful belligerence that the man would leave. He was mistaken.

"How about a Kwami, Fu? Do you know what that is? " The man said. The polymorphed dog was caught of guard by that one, but managed to remain stone faced. However, the next name that the man dropped was the last straw. "What about the Dragon, Fu? What do you know about that?"

Something about Fu's face gave him away. The other man leaned back and smiled, closing his eyes, and the gathered teens started to murmur to each other in excitement, as if there was some expected outcome to this situation that warranted significance. Fu gulped again. This was not going to be good.

"Look, I'm telling you, I don't know what you're talking about," Fu said.

"Leave him alone, Brad," came a voice from beyond the table. Everybody, including Brad, turned to look to its source: a young black girl who was standing with her hands on her hips.

"Valerie," Brad said, with a look of distaste.

* * *

Out of the 3 games they played, Jake won 2, but Rose won the final game so quickly that Jake was blown away, and for a moment even thought she might have cheated. She played coy, but Jake got the feeling she had taken it easy on him. Even if she had, they had both had a ton of fun, laughing and bumping into each other competitively, and they were now both red in the face and a little giddy, as teenagers were wanton to get. Jake shook his head, and looked to Rose, who quirked hers.

"What's up?" She asked.

"I just…" Jake said. "You're really, really cool, Rose. I'm sorry if I came off wrong last time, I was just using some stupid slang to try to make you think I was like… I don't know. Cool and confident or something."

"You _are_ cool," Rose said sincerely

"Not around you! I knock over your books and say stupid stuff and act like a total dork around you," Jake insisted. Rose shrugged.

"True. However, nobody has ever given me such a challenge in M.K. before," she said. Jake looked at her incredulously, and laughed, running his hands through his hair. This had to be it. The two of them were getting along so well, despite the impending danger that surrounded them. He knew this had to be his time to ask.

"Rose I like you. Like, more than a little bit… Will you please go to the Spring Fling with me?" He asked.

The question cut through the atmosphere like a sword. A layer of fantasy and comfort seemed to vanish from Rose's eyes, the mention of the dance seeming to yank her harshly back into reality. She suddenly closed herself off, crossing her arms and becoming distant. Jake's heat sank, feeling that he had done something wrong.

"What's wrong? What did I do?" Jake asked nervously. Rose turned away even more, pain in her eyes. She held herself tightly. "Did I say something?"

"No, Jake, you didn't do anything. That's just it," Rose said somewhat suddenly. She was fully turned away from Jake at this point, but he could see her shoulders shuddering with emotion. "But I have to do what I have to do."

"What?"

"It's… It's Valerie. We have to find her, ok?" Rose said with a sigh, sniffling and turning around to meet Jake with eyes twinged pink. "C'mon. I think I know which way they took her."

* * *

"Hey, thanks for your help back there," said Fu, dogging Valerie's steps as she walked away. "That guy was really on my tail- I mean butt- back there."

"Brad's a piece of work," Valerie said casually, "but not everyone in Huntsclan is bad. Besides, he knows that I beat him every time we spar, so he doesn't mess with me."

"'Not everyone in Huntsclan is bad?'" Fu repeated. "Don't we, like, hunt down endangered species for profit or something? Or did I read the pamphlet wrong."

Valerie sighed, and continued walking. Fu waited for her response, and kept pace. After a moment she looked back to him. She looked him up and down, squinted as if she might know him, and then made an ugly face at him.

"Look, man, quit following me," she said. "You're welcome. Good bye. I got things to do."

"What kinda things?" Fu Human asked. Valerie groaned.

"Dude, for real? Who inducted you?" She asked.

"Rose," Fu lied, coming up with the only other name he knew from Jake's peer group.

"And Rose failed to mention the top priority _Dragon Hunt_ that's going on?" Valerie asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Ooohhh, the Dragon Hunt!" Fu exclaimed, a little too loudly. A few of the nearby goons turned to look at them. "Right, of course. I almost forgot. Anyway, thanks again for your help!"

With that, Fu began to walk away hastily, ignoring the suspicious glare of Valerie that stuck to him as he left. He peeled out, walking as fast as he could without looking like was running, his eyes frantically searching for Jake. Not by the skate ramp, not by the vending machines. There! A head of frosted green tips, following a blond girl into a dark doorway. Fu began to make his way there, and as he did, some of the Huntsclan who had been watching him before came forward to block his path.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me," Fu said.

* * *

"You sure they took Valerie back here?" Jake asked. Rose had led him into a door he had thought was a janitor's closet, but had proven to be the door that led down a rickety flight of stairs to the boiler room. At least, Jake assumed that was where the stairs led. It was horribly dark, only lit by some dull red lights that lined the steps, and he could barely make out his own hand in front of him. Rose, who was leading the way, paused a step down, causing Jake to bump slightly into her. He heard her fumble with something, but he couldn't quite make out what the sounds were. There was a _click._

Then, suddenly, she turned around and pressed herself close to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning her face into his chest. Jake was shocked at first, but not unpleasantly so, and soon wrapped his arms around her in return. He felt her warm breath on his shirt, felt her face shift against him as she looked up to whisper in his ear.

"Jake," she said. "Maybe… we forget about Valerie for a while. We forget about _everything_ for just a little while."

Jake's throat was going dry and his heart was beating fast. The girl he adored was pressed up to him in the dark, and he wanted nothing more than to be with her, to forget everything and to hold her there in that dark place forever. Something primal within the young man screamed for him to kiss her, and her leaned down to do so, one hand gently reaching up to hold her cheek. She gently tilted her chin up to meet him. Jake wanted this. To forget his troubles, his responsibilities his failures, and to let it all wash away in this one kiss. The two young people reached for each other in the darkness.

But their kiss was not meant to be.


	10. Twisted Flower, Blooming Dragon

**Author's Note:** _Okay, friends. Turn on some tunes and grab a snack, this is a long one. I have a lot of fun writing big, flashy action sequences (which you might have already been able to tell.) What are some of your favorite fight scenes so far? Let me know in the Comments, and as always, leaving a Bookmark or Kudos helps a lot! Thank you for stopping in, enjoy the new chapter!_

* * *

**Chapter 10: Twisted Flower, Blooming Dragon**

"Jake!"

The warm darkness was pierced by neon light as the door to the stairwell was flung open. Startled, Rose took a step back, and there was another clicking sound. Below, lights started to turn on, one by one, each accompanied by a heavy shutter sound. As each light turned on, it revealed a hulking glass display case beneath it. What they contained made Jake's stomach ache. In one tube, a trio of long eared, blue goblins. In another tube rested a strange, malformed looking crystal that was composed of several different colors, like the thing from the unicorn fields. In another display case, much to Jake's surprise, was the enormous form of the minotaur that he had failed to save before.

"Jake! Listen, kid, things are not lookin' good. You know I don't wanna be that guy, but now is _not_ the time for smooching!" Fu said, from the open door at the top of the stairs. Then, he noticed the newly revealed prisoners, and his jaw dropped. He looked to Jake, whose back was to the door, and whose fists were clenched into balls at his side. Rose, a couple of steps below him, stood like a deer in headlights. She still had her hand on the light switch she had accidentally turned. The hand with the dragon tattoo.

"Rose," Jake said, his voice trembling, "where's Valerie?"

Rose didn't say anything. She slowly pulled away from the light switch, and stood in the center of the stairwell, blocking Jake's path. She wrung her hands. Jake continued to look at her, awaiting a response. From the top of the stairwell, Fu squinted.

"Valerie? Kid, I was just talking to Valerie," he called down, "she's up here… I think your gal pal is lyin' to you."

"Is he telling the truth?" Jake asked. Rose said nothing, taking a step back, her eyes like a caged animal's. Jake stepped forward.

"What are you doing?" Rose asked, the emotion in her voice impossible to place.

"I need you to move, Rose," Jake said. "I have a duty to uphold."

"A duty?"

Jake kept advancing, and Rose seemed to back down, sliding to the side and letting Jake walk past her. He was focused on the trapped creatures below. At the top of the steps, Fu looked over his shoulder and then looked back to Jake nervously.

"Hey, whatever you're doing, you should try to make it quick," the polymorphed Sharpei called down.

Jake walked up to the glass container in which the minotaur stood, and pressed his relatively tiny hand onto it. The creature seemed to be sedated, and a faint, cloudy vapor swirled around inside of the tube. Jake noticed that this vapor also filled the other containment units.

"Jake?" Rose called from the stairs.

She looked down at him. She seemed a little desperate, and more than a little sad, like she was hoping what she was seeing wasn't true. Jake sighed, and bowed his head. He took a cleansing breath, and focused on his right arm. With a flash of heat and light, it became the mighty front claw of the red Dragon. He turned to Rose, who had small tears forming in the corners of her eyes. He tried to give her a brave look.

"It's my job," Jake said, "to protect these creatures. I can't let them stay in display cases."

Rose hung her head and closed her eyes. Jake was confused, but when she looked back up at him her expression was one of renewed resolve. Her hand went slowly to her hip, and with a flourish she produced a long, gleaming dagger. She moved into a battle stance, and her eyes laser focused on Jake. Jake furrowed his brow.

"I had my theory, but the Huntsman told me to make sure," Rose said. "'The dragon is an elusive foe, and a shapeshifter. It could be anyone.' That's what he told me."

Jake's world came crashing down. The bubble of happiness that he had built for the two of them in his mind popped like an overfilled water balloon, and his feelings came gushing out haphazardly. He didn't know what to feel. Rose clutched her free hand to her heart, and continued.

"My mentor was right, as he always seems to be. When I first faced you at school, I had only your voice and demeanor to go off of, so I couldn't be sure. Even when you showed up here, alongside a polymorph," Rose shook her head as the realization mounted on Jake's face. "You're cute, but you're really dumb, Jake. We hunt monsters. You don't think we have defenses against magical infiltration?"

"You mean-"

"I'm sorry I played you for so long. I was hoping it wasn't really you," Rose said. "I really did have fun today, and I would have loved to have gone to the dance with you."

"So in the cafeteria," Jake said, the words tumbling out of his mouth, "that was you?"

Rose nodded. Jake pulled his arm away from the glass, and clenched his draconic fist at his side. He turned so that was was facing the stairway.

"And today," he said, "was all an act. So you could make sure if it was really me."

Rose has nothing to say in response. Jake sighed. He couldn't bring himself to look at her. His shoulder shook with compressed rage and sadness, and even from his perch at the door, Fu could see the pain Jake was going through. The polymorphed dog wanted to say something, but before he could, there was another burst of heat and light, and Jake's other arm had become a dragon's claw. Rose instinctively straightened her combat pose, which had fallen lax.

"I'm setting the creatures free, Rose," Jake said, "even if you try to stop me."

Rose held her response for as long as the tension would allow.

"I have no choice," Rose and Jake said at the same moment.

_Crash!_ Glass clattered to the floor as Jake's scaled fist punched a hole in the containment tube surrounding the drugged minotaur, and the rest of it fell apart. The strange, wispy gas that filled the tube came hissing out, and Jake stumbled back, sputtering. As the gas came in contact with the open air, it became much more difficult to see through, filling the sub-basement with a dense ,layer of fog. From somewhere within the shrouded dungeon, Rose's voice called out to him.

"Please, Jake," she said, "don't make this harder than it has to be."

Then, a burst of movement! From the fog surrounding him burst a figure, Rose, now clad in her Huntsgirl sent a jarring kick to Jake's stomach, causing him to fall back, winded, into another containment tube. He couldn't see what was inside it. Then, Rose reached into her belt and produced two more daggers, identical to the one she had drawn before. She threw all three with wicked speed at Jake.

"Ahh!" Jake shouted, " _Dragon's Scales!_ "

Jake threw up his arms in defense, and there was a flash of heat and light, followed by a trio of weak clattering sounds. Looking to his feet, the young dragon caught sight of one of Rose's blades. It must of bounced harmlessly off of the newly formed, lizard-like armor that now coated Jake's arms, shoulders, chest, and back. From beneath her mask, Rose made a _tsk_ noise.

"Jake!" Fu's voice called from somewhere further into the fog. "Valerie was telling me about some kind of fraternity dragon hunt these guys are doing! She's trying to kill ya, kid! Don't fall prey to her feminine wiles!"

Jake felt something cold on the back of his neck, and glanced over to realize that one of Rose's daggers had stuck itself, blade first, into the tube behind him. A spider's web of cracks was forming around the spot of impact, and a faint hissing sound heralded the small stream of pale gas that was shooting out from around the weapon's hilt. Then, not a moment after he noticed, Jake hit the ground. Rose, through the thick, obscuring fog, couldn't see what was happening. There was a sound like a liquor bottle being opened, and the dagger came shooting out from the pressurized glass, and thumped hilt first into her shoulder.

Rose yelped a bit in pain, and took a step back, but there was no significant damage. She looked down to Jake on the floor, and drew a short rod from the back of her belt. She twisted part of it, and a mechanism inside of the hilt extended both sides out, forming a wicked, bladed staff. She spun the weapon in a couple mesmerizing figure 8's, and then held it in a defensive position, her hand pointed towards Jake with an open palm. She then took the pole-arm in both hands, raising it above her head to swing it like an executioner's axe.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, closing her eyes before going to chop down on the prone half-Dragon.

However, to Rose's confusion, she met resistance. She tried to push her weapon forward, but found it held back by something. She tried to tug it down, but had no luck. Whatever it was, it's grip was firm. Rose gulped. She glanced up to where the blade of her pole-arm was, and found it grasped in a mighty, humanoid fist. Connected to that fist was a familiar, tree-trunk arm, and connected to that arm was the hulking shadow of the minotaur, half obscured by the shifting clouds of gas. It huffed out a blast of steamy breath from it's bovine nose, displacing the fog around it. It's eyes shone like dangerous lights in the darkness.

"Don't hurt her!" Was all Jake could get out before the beast yanked Rose's weapon free from her grip, and grabbed her around the waist with his other hand. For a monster of its size, it was an easy feat to hold onto a struggling 13 year old girl once it had hold of one. Try as she might, Rose couldn't seem to struggle free from its grasp. Jake climbed to his feet, and then stumbled forward as the tube behind him exploded, the change in pressure becoming too much for it. Before Jake had time to see what had come out of the tube, or to see what was happening with Rose and the minotaur, there was a commotion coming from where Fu's voice had come from.

There was shouting, and then the sounds of combat. Fists flew, that much Jake was sure of, as there were several meaty impacts and grunts of pain, from various combatants. Partway through whatever conflict was going on, one of the human voices disappeared, and was suddenly replaced by vicious, canine growling and barking. A man shouted, and then there was a pained yelp and a tumbling sound. A grey Sharpei dog came rolling out of the fog, it's muzzle covered in fresh, red blood. Panting heavily, Fu Dog looked over to Jake, who was clutching his side.

"I couldn't stop 'em, kid," the dog said, "they're comin'."

There was a distorted sound like a shockwave, and in Jake had to squint as blue light suddenly flooded the area, catching the fog and making it even harder to see. For a brief moment, Jake saw the skeleton of the minotaur amidst the flash of blue. Then, the light was gone as quickly as it came. Blinking away the dark spots that clouded his sight, Jake peered forward to see the cause of the burst of energy. Several Huntsclan had now arrived on the scene, and one of them held one of the energy staves Jake had seen before. She had just prodded the minotaur with it, prompting it to roar in pain and release its grip on Rose, who used the opportunity to slip beyond the veil of the fog.

The minotaur, who had only just woken up and was not happy to find itself, once again, surrounded by people wearing purple, was starting to get worked up. It ground its massive hooves on the concrete, and beat its chest once with a mighty fist. The Huntsclan squad that had surrounded it, just like they had before, became wary. The minotaur was not a foe to be taken lightly. Jake looked to his fallen ally, Fu, and to the brave monster fighting for its freedom. His mind wavered when he thought of Rose, but he dug deep within himself, finding there a Resolve that he hadn't known before. Clutching his clawed fists, he focused his energy, and called upon the Dragon's power.

" _Dragon Up!_ "

There was a magnificent display of magical flame, which dispelled much of the fog around him, and Jake quickly transformed from a half-dragon hybrid to the real deal, 9 feet of red scaled, musclebound lizard. Jake roared triumphantly, a primal urge that satisfied the Dragon within him. As Jake emerged in his glorious new form, the minotaur gave a hearty roar in return, and the two creatures' eyes met. This time, it was as comrades. As the Huntsclan circle became loser around the minotaur, one bulky goon stepped forward. He wore a headband over his mask.

"Brad, be careful!" Shouted one of the other Hunstclan. Brad snorted.

"I got this," he said. He shrugged a heavy looking rifle off of his back.. He aimed it at the bulky figure of the minotaur. "Aw man, I've always wanted to say this. _H'asta la vista, ba-_ "

_Whoosh!_ The other Huntsclan members shouted in fear as, behind Brad, the silhouette of two great wings appeared. Jake returned the favor to the minotaur, rising up behind Brad like a Dragon's ghost, and clapping his front claws on either side of the brute, crossing his eyes and causing him to drop to the ground. The Huntsclan goons now stood in between a rock (a minotaur), and a hard place (a dragon). Needless to say, this was a less than ideal situation, and the remaining Huntsclan decided to tactically retreat, vanishing into the fog.

With his keen Dragon senses, Jake heard several sets of fearful footsteps bolting up the stairway, and took chase, scooping up Fu Dog in one claw on the way out. His new body was quite large, and he had to be careful as he left the small door he had mistakenly thought led to a closet. The minotaur had no such worries, instead barreling through the door, and the door frame, and the wall surrounding the door. As the two creatures emerged, hot on the heels of the Huntsclan, to find a scene of chaos on the next floor.

Apparently, the second containment tube to break had been the one containing the trio of goblins, and once set free, they had immediately set about wreaking havoc on the Huntsclan base. One of the little monsters stolen a skateboard, and was sliding around the room, blowing raspberries and doing tricks while a couple of teens chased it down. Another goblin was scrambling around, knocking over whatever it could find; weapon racks, arcade boxes, tables, it didn't matter. The last goblin had clambered its way up onto the ceiling, and was swinging from the light fixtures like a chimp. All three of the goblins cackled, and the entire room was full of frantic Huntsclan trying to secure the situation. Now, some of them turned to see the newest additions: an escaped minotaur and a red dragon holding a Sharpei like a purse dog. Fu Dog laughed as the scene came into view.

"Oh, you gotta be kiddin' me," he said, "that's rich. Gotta love goblins"

With a roar, the minotaur charged away from Jake and joined the fray, smashing through anybody wearing a Huntsclan uniform like a bowling ball through pins. Luckily, Jake could tell it wasn't trying to kill them, and it wasn't going for many of the younger kids, who were just wearing casual clothes. Those in uniform seemed mostly to be those who were part of the Dragon hunt. Jake's stomach dropped as he remember the Dragon hunt, which also made him remember-

"Rose," Jake said. Then, for the third time that week, he felt a numbing sensation at the base of his wing. It fell uselessly over his shoulder, and then, in rapid succession, the same blow on his other wing. The young dragon spun around and leapt back, turning to see Rose there, in a martial arts stance, her back to the door that was still billowing fog. Jake gently set Fu down, and the dog scampered away to cover. Then, the Dragon reared up and looked down at his opponent.

"Who called the Dragon hunt?" He asked. "The Huntsman? Where is he?"

Rose closed her eyes and looked away. The din of battle and chaos continued to rage behind them. Jake felt something in his heart begin to flutter once more. Hope, he realized. He could see that this situation was hurting her. Maybe he could get through to her! Jake took a cautious step forward.

"Rose… Please. We don't have to-" Jake started to say. He was cut off by Rose letting out a pent up, agonizing shriek..

"Shut up! _Shut up shut up!_ " She shouted. "You are a Dragon. A Dragon must be slain. For Hunstclan. For the Huntsman!"

Without another word, Rose threw herself at him, twisting mid-air to dodge his deflective claw, and landing too close for Jake's lengthy claws to find any advantage. She delivered a rapid series of strikes to his soft abdomen, and then rolled to the side and out of the way of the incoming tail sweep that Jake tried to counter with. She had studied his moves. Something in Rose's eyes hardened Jake's heart once more. She was aiming to kill. Whatever feelings she felt, she had stuffed them down deep beneath her mask. She was the Huntsgirl now.

The two combatants matched blows as the battle for the Huntsclan base continued around them. Fu had ran downstairs and freed the other creatures, and they were now joining the fray. At one point, Jake used a flying Huntsclan goon as a battering ram to intercept a flying kick from Rose, and during another moment Rose had sent him tumbling into a vending machine, which he had struggled to get his head free from for several seconds. The whole time, they dodged a rampant unicorn and a dive bombing troupe of fairies. As the fight continued, Jake felt fear creep in as he realized he was outmatched. Rose was better trained, better equipped, and in her element. Jake was off balance and ill-prepared. He would need to use any advantage he could to complete his objective: to save the magical creatures.

Jake sucked in a breath, and shoved all doubts aside. Feeling the heat rise from his gut and into this throat, he expelled a blast of flame that flew straight towards the Huntsgirl. She saw it coming, and tried to dodge, but was too late. Part of the ball of fire struck her, and sent her flipping into an overturned weapons rack. Defeated, To Jake's dismay, the fireball then continued on its trajectory, and struck the wooden half-pipe. Within moments, half of the hideout was starting to catch fire. Most of the Huntsclan had been taken out by the combined efforts of the escaped magical creatures, and the monsters were now just running around in a panic, looking for the way out. Jake cursed himself.

"Fu!" Jake shouted in panic, above the roar of fire. "Fu!"

"Kid! Kid, I'm here!" Fu's voice called back. They called out to each other, and soon met up. Jake was overwhelmingly happy to see the little grey dog again.

"Fu, I need you to round up the creatures, and start leading them towards the exit!" Jake said. He turned back to where Rose had been, and found that she had disappeared. Damn it.

"Good idea, we need to get the hell outta here. Pardon my french, but I don't wanna get caught in a fire burning 30 feet under the ground," Fu said. "What about you? What are you gonna do?"

"There's still one unaccounted for," Jake said, looking back towards the fog veiled containment room. "I can't leave it down there."

"Look at you," Fu said, looking up with a sparkle in his little black eyes. "You're gonna be a great Dragon kid. Just hurry up! Otherwise, you might not live to get there!"

The two parted ways. Fu bolted away to gather up the creatures like a strange sheepdog to an even stranger flock, and Jake ran on all fours towards the containment room. The density of the fog made the room feel strangely quiet and isolated, and as Jake returned, he felt the tiring sensation of post-combat begin to settle in. Wearily, he trudged forward, feeling around on the ground for what he was searching for. Eventually, Jake found it. The last creature; the strange, crystal formation. It had seemed a lot bigger to Jake when he had been in human form. He cradled the misshapen lump of gemstones in his arms.

"Don't worry, my dude," he said. "I didn't forget about you."

"You did forget about me, though," said a voice from the fog. Rose stepped forward to reveal herself. She held her long, wicked pole-arm once more. Her eyes were even deadlier than before. "My mission is clear, Dragon. You die today."

She lashed forward, and he spun just in time to catch the blade on his thick back scales, then retaliated with a tail strike. This one caught in in the mid section, and as she double over, Jake followed it up with an uppercut to the jaw, sending her off of her feet and flying backwards. She hit the ground hard, and wiped blood from her mouth. Jake held the crystal under one arm and looked down at her. He offered her a hand.

"Stop this," Jake said. "Let me get you out of here. Let me help you."

"You can't help me," Rose said angrily, a bit of blood and spit flying out of her mouth. She staggered to her feet, hands bloody from pressing on shattered glass. Jake winced. "And you can't get me out of this."

"Please," Jake insisted. With a low pulse, he dropped the Dragon's form. Rose looked at him suspiciously, but some of the edge in her gaze vanished when his Dragon's form was no longer present. She was forced to confront Jake, not the Dragon, and apparently, that was much harder for her. "You have to let me try, Rose. I care about you. This group is dangerous! You're so incredible. You don't need the Hunstclan!"

"All that I _have_ is the Huntsclan!" Rose shouted back. Blood and sweat and tears dripped freely down her face. "The Huntsman took me in when I had nothing. He gave me a home! A life! A purpose!"

"He's using you, Rose. Come on. We can leave," Jake said. Rose flinched at the words, and balled up a fist. She wasn't looking at Jake anymore. Her hand slowly went to her belt, and Jake tensed up, but he didn't want to fight her. He took another step towards her. The Huntsgirl shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Jake," she said. "You just don't get it. Huntsclan is more than that."

"Rose, wait!" Jake shouted. He was too late to stop her, as she produced one final object from her belt, and in a flash of blinding light and acrid smoke, she was gone, leaving Jake Long alone, an exhausted human boy, at the bottom of a lair gone up in flames.


	11. Looking Forward

**Author's Note:** _Heya! Thanks for reading! Be sure to stick around to the end, there's a special surprise!_

* * *

**Chapter 11: Looking Forward**

"Yo, Jake!" Trixie called from across the pool. "Watch this one!"

Spud and Jake sat on the other end, sitting with their feet dangling over the side. Jake lifted a hand to shield his eyes, and Trixie pointed to the sky heroically.

"Gentlemen," she said, "prepare yourselves for the front side 360 shove-it heel-flip!"

"No way she lands the laser flip," Jake said to Spud, who shrugged.

"I don't know, man. She looks confident. Aerodynamic, even."

It had been a week since the encounter at the Huntsclan hideout. Jake and Fu Dog had successfully cleared out all of the captured magical creatures, and Jake had made sure to go back and pick up any straggling Huntsclan members. For the younger kids, he told them to run off and never to join up with color coded gangs again. As for the adults in uniform, he tied them together and used a nearby convenience store's phone to call the cops on them. Luckily, Rose's tip about most of them being wanted criminals had been correct, and they had been taken into custody later that very same day.

Trixie dropped into the pool, and rolled forward at a face-melting speed. A huge grin peeled across her face, and she leaned forward, embracing the rush and doing rapid calculations in her mind. Her big moment came, and she went for the trick with enthusiasm, even giving a thrilled " _Booyah!_ " when she reached its peak. Then, on the way down, Jake and Spud were on the edges of their seats as she started to wobble, but with a sudden straightening of her back, she stuck the landing, and slid a small arc across the pool floor before snapping into a skid and stopping. She kicked her board up into her arm, and strutted over to her two best friends. They clapped for her.

"Nice, girl!" Jake said.

"That ripped," Spud concurred, giving Trixie a high five.

Jake busted out his backpack, and the three of them enjoyed a balanced lunch of PB and J, courtesy of Susan Long. She had also packed each of them a bottle of water. Classic mom things. They enjoyed their little lunch, and discussed the current events at school. Valerie and her family had packed up and moved out of town rather abruptly, without saying a word to anyone. The rumor around Millard Filmore was that they were moving to the New Coast because of her father's job, but Jake knew better. He decided that information was not his to share, though. After hearing Fu Dog describe her actions in the Huntsclan lair, Jake figured that even if they weren't friends, Valerie couldn't be all bad, and she deserved her privacy. Maybe she could start a new life, wherever she was moving, and get away from hunting monsters and ghosts.

"Ok, y'all," Trixie said with a big stretch, reaching her arms around her two boys for a sideways hug. "I gotta head out. I gotta study for that math quiz. Apparently Mr. Chapman won't take "traumatized by minotaur attack" as an excuse for turning it in late without a doctor's note."

"Yeah, I should probably go too. I can't be late for Dragon training," Jake agreed.

"I also have important matters to attend to," Spud said, though mostly just because he wanted to feel included.

The trio of friends bid their farewells. Spud and Trixie headed in one direction, their boards under their arms, while Jake half buckled on his helmet and took off skating a different way. As he cruised through the alleys that surrounded the abandoned Splash Zone, he was met with a weird sense of nostalgia. He glanced up at the rooftop where, only a couple of weeks prior, he had been chasing down a renegade goblin. Thinking back on the memory, it had been a lot smaller of a thing than he had thought it was at the time. More proof of Luong Lao Shi's wisdom.

_Which reminds me,_ thought Jake, _I better haul butt._

As Jake pumped his legs hard to kick his board into high gear, he was unaware of an observer, perched nearby. Ironically, if Jake had turned just a few degrees to the right, he might have spotted them. As it stood, he was completely unawares as the onlooker took off from their previous vantage point, sprinting silently across rooftops in hot pursuit. A long, blond braid trailed behind her as she ran, and she followed Jake all the way back to Chinatown. She perched on top of a Panda Express, and crouched behind the giant rotating panda sign. She watched Jake kick up his board, and enter his apartment building.

" _Where are you?_ " A voice said, coming through the speaker in her ear tinny and distorted.

Rose winced, bringing one hand up to touch the earpiece and turn it down. The voice was terribly loud. She gave a longing look at the apartment complex doors before rising to her feet. Her heart ached in an empty, numb way. She swallowed her feelings. She really had wanted to go to the dance with Jake. Unfortunately, that interfered with the ways of Huntsclan, and so was impossible. Still, there was nothing that said she couldn't keep tabs on him… in secret.

"Nowhere important," Rose lied, holding down her earpiece so that the recipient on the other end could hear. "I saw a pegasus. Lost track of it."

" _You seem to think I have forgotten your recent failure, 87,"_ the voice said. " _Instead of wasting your time chasing winged horses, perhaps your efforts would be better put to use tracking down the_ Dragon _you lost."_

Rose, who had turned around at this point and jumped to another rooftop, craned her neck to take one last glance at Jake's apartment doors. She clutched her fist, and imagined Jake reaching out to her. Telling her she would ok. Promising to help. Then, she released her fist and exhaled, blowing those thoughts onto the wind. She brought her fingers up to her ear once more.

"Of course, Lord Huntsman _,"_ she said, the faintest ghost of a smile on her face. "Without delay."

**End of Book 1**

* * *

**Subnote:** _Thank you all so much for sticking with me until the end! This is the first step on a long journey, and I'm excited to share it with you! Tacked on the end here you will find an Epilogue. Think of it as a post-credit scene, teasing the next big story in the Danger Watch universe. I hope it gets you excited, and be sure to give my profile a follow so you don't miss it when it comes out! Until then, thank you again! And don't worry:_

**Jake Long will return...**

* * *

**Epilogue**

**~1 Year Earlier…**

**New Mexico**

Smooth jazz blared lazily through the dust-coated speaker system that the Big Bear boasted. The Bear, as the locals often called it, was no chain restaurant, and easily the largest and most respected diner in town. That morning, like every morning, it was full of the usual customers. The police officer who only ever ordered black coffee and omelettes, the strange woman who was always wearing a smoke-scented denim jacket and muttering to herself, and the college aged gay couple that always split pancakes. Today, however, just as the young couple was starting to dig into their breakfast, the table started to rumble gently. The first of the two young men looked to his partner, and the two exchanged a look before looking back down at the table, which was now vibrating considerably.

"Aliens!" The denim woman shouted, covering her head with her arms and cowering in the booth she sat in. "They've finally come back!"

By now, the other patrons of the diner had noticed the shaking too, and were looking around for answers. The cop, who was still only halfway through his cup of coffee, sighed and rose from his seat with a grunt. Pulling up his belt, and straightening his hat, he made his way towards the door.

"Alright, everybody remain calm. I'm sure its just a tremor," he said. As he reached the door, he turned on the CV radio on his shoulder. "Hey, this is Morton. Anybody know what all the… shaking… was…"

As the policeman took a few steps outside of the Bear, he was met with a pressurized droning, like someone was trying to shove as much sound as they could into every hole in his face to make his brain shake around like jello on the hood of a monster truck. The officer also noted a long, blanketing shadow that seemed to cover the sun. Squinting up with eyes that weren't as sharp as they once were, the cop suddenly gasped, dropping his radio so that it dangled off of his shoulder.

Above him, blocking out the sky, was a huge, red eye.

**Next Time: Phase 1, Book 2**

**XJ-9 and the Glitch Techs**


End file.
